LIBRARY OF CONGRESS, 

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UNITED STATES OF AMEKICA. 



Texas Pulpit 



— BY- 



Christian Preachers 



EDITED BY 

LAURENCE W. SCOTT, 



Author of '■'■ Hand-Book of Christian Evidence^'''' etc. 




ST. LOUIS : 

CHRISTIAN PUBLISHING COMPANY. 

1888. 



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Of conoabmI 

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coptkighted by 

Christian Publishing Company, 

1888. 



PEEFAOE. 



We were disappointed in failing to obtain sermons from sev- 
eral of our editors and college presidents ; nevertheless, we 
received a dozen more than we could find space for in this 
volume. We wish to present them and many others in a second 
volume, if we receive sufficient encouragement. 

The discourses here presented are not thrown together at 
random, but are arranged with great care and studied system. 
There are seven groups, which intermingle as the colors of the 
rainbow, as follows : 1. Those that treat of the Bible as a whole. 
2. Those dealing largely with Old Testament themes. 3. Those 
that view Christ from different standpoints. 4. Those that set 
forth the elements of the gospel. 5. Those that teach Christian 
duties. 6. Those that discuss matters pertaining to the refor- 
mation. 7. Those that treat of future things. 

We have aimed to have the subjects follow each other in 
regular order, like the chapters in a book written by one man. 
Accordingly, the editor, in the introductory discourse, calls 
attention to the beautiful System and arrangement of the Bible. 
Pennington analyzes it. Lowber, in the light of the Bible, 
gives us a view of the spirit of man. This suggests the inner 
and outer man, and Bradford treats of the two laws pertaining 
thereto. The mind naturally glides from the thought of two 
laws to that of "the two covenants," discussed by Shouse. 
And while we are pondering a j)lurality oi laws, D'Spain comes 
to our assistance, with the information that a change of priest- 
hood necessitates a change of law. Priesthood suggests the 
temple, and Lockhart reconstructs the temple of Solomon be- 
fore our eyes, in all its beauty and magnificence, and leaves us 
on the very pinacle thereof. Caskey takes us off the pinacle of 
the temple, and carries us to the utmost peak of an exceeding 

(3) 



4 PREFACE. 

high mountain, and shows us the whole world and everything 
m it, and Christ reflected in everything ! When dizzy from 
contemplating the lofty height to Avhich we have been carried, 
and the loftier height of the Son of God, Taylor takes us by the 
iiancl and gently leads us down, and our hearts burn in us b^* 
tne way, as he tells of Christ as Mediator. Then Trimble 
plants his jacob-stafl', runs a survey, and shows that redemptior, 
is found in Christ. "And reconciliation!" shouts Smith. 
"Amen ! " responds Jackson, who proceeds to present a view 
of the causes, agents and conditions of salvation. The items, 
faith, repentance, the confession, and baptism, are next pre- 
sented by Stevens, Harrison, Grogan and Officer. Dimraitt 
gives us five good reasons for baptism. Barbee shows the rehi- 
tion of faith to salvation. Srygley gives us a soul-?earching 
sermon on the Word of God as a discerner of the heart. Mason 
exhorts to self-denial. Barker cheers us with the thought of 
being risen with Christ, and exhorts us to set our afi'ection on 
things above. A beautiful place to introduce the Lord's Supper 
— Dohoney administers it. Kendrick asks us to bow in prayer. 
Aten speaks on the spread of the gospel. Davis contrasts the 
church and the apostasy. Ribble surprises us with a bran new 
thought on the cleansing of the sanctuary. Gano talks tenderly 
and earnestly of the name we should wear. Abney exhorts us 
to live the Christian life. McPherson directs our attention be- 
yond the Christian life, and discusses the " resurrection of the 
just." Poe points us beyond the resurrection to " the glory to 
be revealed," in " the world to come," of which Scott speaks. 

This book, therefore, should be read consecutively through, 
and every sermon considered with reference to its relation to 
all the others. 

The editor may, at any time, be addressed as follows : 
• Laurence W. Scott, 

Care of Christian Publishing Co., 
1522 Lucas Place, 

St. Louis, Mo. 

November 1st, A. D. 1888. 



OOI^TENTS. 



Subject. Coktributob. Pagb. 

SERMOX I. 
Introductory Discourse. . Editor. ... 7 

SERMON II. 
The Bible Analyzed. . . D. Pennington. . . 23 

SERMON III. 
The Spirit of Man. . . J. W. Lowber. . . 38 

SERMON lY. 
The Two Laws, etc. . . J. A. J. Bradford . . 50 

SERMON y. 
The Two Covenants. . . S. N. Shouse. . . 60 

SERMON YI. 
Change OF Law. . . . A. L. D' Spain. . . 74 

SERMOir YII. 
The Temple J. J. Lockhart. . . 89 

SERMON YIII. 
Christ in Prophecy. . . . T. W. Caskey. . . 101 

SERMON IX. 
The Mediator. . . . W. Y. Taylor. . . 113 

SERMON X. 
Redemption in Christ. . . R. B. Trimble. . . 124 

SERMON XL 
Reconciliation. . . . H. Ab. Smith. . . 139 

SERMON XII. 
Causes of Salvation. . . J. W. Jackson. . . 147 

SERMON XIII. 
Faith J. A. Stevens. . . 160 

SERMON XIY. 
Repentance. . . . . W. L. Harrison. . .170 

SERMON XY. 
The Good Confession. . . L. B. Grogan. . . 183 



CONTENTS. 

sermo:n^ xyi. 

What IS BAPTISM: . . . B.W Officer. . . 196 

SERMON XYII. 
Reasons for Baptism. . . W. C. Dimmitt. . 202 

SERMON XVIII. 
Faith and Salvation. . . W. J. Barbee. . . 212 

SERMON XIX. 
The Word of God. . . F. D. Srygley. . 230 

SERMON XX. 
Self-denial. . . . . J. C. Mason. , • 841 

SERMON XXI. 
Risen with Christ. . . S. L. Barker. . . 248 

SERMON XXII. 
The Lord's Supper. . . . E. L. Dohoney. . . 261 

SERMON XXIII. 
Prayer C. Kendrich. . . 274 

SERMON XXIY. 
Missions A. P. Aten. . .287 

SERMON XXV. 
The Church and the Apostasy. H. B. Davis, . . 300 

SERMON XXVI. 
Cleansing- the Sanctuary. . F. G. Bibble. . . 310 

SERMON XXVII. 

The NAiiE B. M. Gano. , . 323 

SERMON XXVni. 
The Christian Life. . . J. A. Abney. . . 333 

SERMON XXIX. 
The Resurrection. . . C. McPherson. , . 342 

SERMON XXX. 
The Glory TO BE Revealed. . J. T. Foe. . . . 354 

SERMON XXXI. 
The World to Come. . . Laurence W. Scott. . 361 

APPENDIX. 
Biographic Briefs 373-400 



TEXAS PULPIT 



SERMON I. 
INTRODUCTORY DISCOURSE. 

By Laurence W. Scott. 

In the fourth chapter of Zechariah, we liave a 
most beautiful picture presented — a vision seen 
"by the prophet. In his visions he saw a beautiful 
candlestick (or lamp) with seven branches, all of 
gold; and two golden olive trees, one on either 
side; and two golden olive branches emptying the 
golden oil out of themselves into the golden lamp ; 
and thus was produced a beautiful light, by which 
was seen the candlestick, the olive trees, and all 
the surroundings. 

The prophet inquired. What meaneth this ? The 
angel, who superintended the vision, replied, 
"This is the word of the Lord unto Zerubbabel, 
saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my 
Spirit, saith the Lord of hosts." The central 
thing in the vision, then, represents the Spirit of 
God. What was central? The oil. The object 
of the olive trees and olive branches was to supply 

(7) 



8 TEXAS PULPIT. 

the oil ; the candlestick was to receive the oil ; the 
result was light ! The oil, therefore, was central, 
just as the grain is central in a flouring mill. But 
what did the olive trees and olive branches repre- 
sent? That is just what the prophet desired to 
know. He inquired : " What are these two olive 
trees upon the right side of the candlestick, and 
upon the left side thereof?" That question was 
not answered. Then he made it more specific and 
definite: "What be these two olive branches, 
which, through the two golden pipes, empty the 
golden oil out of themselves ? " The angel 
answered: "These are the two anointed ones that 
stand by the Lord of the whole earth." But, who 
are the two anointed ones ? In order to learn that, 
we must have recourse to the first great law of 
interpretation, i. e., the surroundings. We must 
inquire what were the circumstances of the one 
addressed, and how would he understand it. 
Zechariah was a Jewish prophet. And, who 
would a Jewish prophet naturally understand by 
the first one of these anointed ones? Evidently, 
Moses. Moses was the great leader and law-giver 
of the Israelites — the mighty hero who broke the 
Egyptian yoke and led them out of bondage ; the 
deliverer that led them through the Red Sea and 
the wilderness ; and, from Pisgah's lofty heights, 
pointed them to the promised land. The two 
anointed ones, therefore, would hardly be men- 
tioned, till the mind of the Hebrew prophet would 



INTEODUCTORY DISCOURSE. 9 

instantly flash back to Moses as the first one. 
But, who was the other anointed one ? Evidently, 
the Messiah. Moses had said to them that God 
would raise up unto them a prophet like himself. 
They looked forward to him with yearning antici- 
pation. He was the burden of prophecy; the 
theme of poetry and song! The mind, therefore, 
of the Jewish prophet would hardly go back to 
Moses as one of these anointed ones, till it would 
instantly rebound and go forward to the Messiah 
as the other anointed one ! And that is correct. 
One olive branch represented Moses, the other, 
Jesus. And, as certainly as the two olive branches 
represented Moses and Christ, the two trees on 
which they grew represented the two systems in 
which Moses and Christ are the most conspicuous 
figures. The one representing Judaism, the other, 
Christianity; the one symbolizing the Law, the 
other typifying the Gospel; the one representing 
the Israelitish nation, to whom God said, ''I have 
called thee a goodly olive tree," the other repre- 
senting the true Israel of God, a holy nation, a 
royal priesthood, a peculiar people — Christians. 

But what did the candlestick represent? It 
symbolized the Bible ; and the light thereof, the 
light of God's word. This is evident, because the 
candlestick in the vision corresponded to the one 
in the tabernacle, as shown by the fact that this 
vision was seen upon the re-edification of the tem- 
ple by Zerubbabel and Joshua the high priest. 



10 TEXAS PULPIT. 

And the candlestick in the tabernacle and in the 
temple typified the Bible, as can be abundantly 
shown. If there is any doubt of this, that doubt 
is set at rest when we read on into the fifth chap- 
ter, where we find the result of all this was a fly- 
ing roll or book that went abroad into the whole 
earth, condemning thieves and swearers alike. 
The Bible is that book, which goes into all lands, 
condemning equally all sins. 

An apostle says, whatever was written afore- 
time was written for our admonition and learning. 
This beautiful picture was presented for our 
instruction. Let us contemplate it. There stands 
a golden candlestick, or oil lamp, with seven 
branches, representing the Word of God. There 
stand on either side, two olive trees of gold, repre- 
senting the two dispensations. And while we see 
many glittering golden branches symbolizing 
prophets and apostles, we behold two prominent 
branches, one on either tree, representing Moses 
and Jesus. Then, from these two branches we see 
flowing the yellow, golden oil, emptying into the 
golden bowl of the candlestick with the seven 
branches, producing a seven-fold light, blending 
harmoniously as one light ! The oil representing 
the Spirit of God, the Holy Spirit. 

Now, if we are right, we would expect to find 
the Bible divided into two divisions. Because 
there were two olive trees, and two olive branches ; 
two sources whence flowed the oil of illumination. 



I]^TEODUCTORY DISCOUESE. 11 

So we have only to open the Bible, and we see at a 
glance that it contains two grand divisions, the 
Old Testament and the New. And there stand 
Moses and the prophets, pouring the golden oil of 
inspiration into the Old Testament on that side; 
and here stand Jesus and the apostles, pouring the 
golden oil of inspiration into the New Testament 
on this side. Thus we readily see how the Holy 
Spirit gives light to men — it is through the golden 
candlestick, the Bible, the Word of God. 

But that is not all. If we are right, we would 
naturally expect to find the Bible divided into 
seven grand divisions or apartments, because the 
golden candlestick had seven branches. Well, as 
we have learned that it is divided into Old Testa- 
ment and New, we can examine each one sepa- 
rately and see how many apartments it contains. 
How many divisions are there in the Old Testa- 
ment ? Just three. How do you know ? Because 
Jesus says so. Jesus said: ''"All things must be 
fulfilled which were written in the law of Moses, 
and in the prophets, and in the Psalms, concerning 
me." Luke 24: 44. There are, then, three divis- 
ions, according to Jesus Messiah himself. And, as 
a matter of fact, I have in my possession a copy 
of the Hebrew Bible, and it is to. the present day 
divided into three divisions, the Thorah (Law), 
JYemim (Prophets), and Kethumm (Writings), or, 
as it is rendered in the Greek Septuagint, Hagai- 
ograpliy, holy writings. 



12 TEXAS PULPIT. 

How many grand divisions are there in the New 
Testament ? That we can learn by ascertaining 
how many different kinds of writing there are in 
it. Any pupil in the common schools, who has 
advanced far enough to study composition, can 
readily see that the New Testament just contains 
four different styles of composition — Biography, 
History, Discipline and Prophecy. Then, it con- 
tains just four apartments : first, the Gospels, con- 
taining biographies of Jesus Christ ; second, the 
Acts, containing an early history of the church ; 
third, the Epistles, containing disciplinary writ- 
ings, showing Christians how to live ; fourth, the 
Apocalypse, or Book of Revelation, containing 
prophecy and promise of the future. Then, as 
there are three grand divisions in the Old Testa- 
ment and four in the New, the whole Bible con- 
tains seven, as the lamp in the vision had seven 
branches. 

But why these four divisions in the New Testa- 
ment ? That question is answered, when we learn 
the object for which it was written, and what is 
necessary to effect that object. For what pur- 
pose was the New Testament written ? Was it to 
furnish texts to dispute over? No! Was it 
merely to interest Sunday-school children? No! 
Was it to teach history ? No ! Was it to teach 
theology ? No ! Was it to teach ethics ? No ! It 
does teach the best code of morals ever taught, 
but it was not written for that purpose. Nor was 



II^TEODUCTOEY DISCOUESE. 13 

it written to show what happened to the Jews 
after the Old Testament closed. It was written for 
none of these purposes. Why was it written ? It 
was iDritten to TnaTce men Cliristians^ and save 
tliemll! That is the purpose which God had in 
view when he inspired the eight writers of the 
New Testament to pen their wonderful produc- 
tions. Well, when we learn what is necessary 
toward making men Christians and saving them 
here and hereafter, we have the question answered 
why these four divisions ? 

What is the first step toward making a man a 
Christian ? The first step, absolutely, and without 
which no other step can be taken, is to make him 
a believer. You can not make a Christian of any 
man till you have made a believer of him. I have 
for years had pending a debate (which may yet 
come off) with Rabbi Browne, a distinguished Jew- 
ish doctor in New York. Suppose I want to make 
a Christian of Rabbi Browne, or any other Jew, the 
first thing I must do is to convince him, and get 
him to believe that Jesus is the Messiah. I can 
take no other step till I have taken that one. Or, 
suppose I wish to make a Christian of Ingersoll, 
or any of the numerous infidels with whom I de- 
bate, I must first convince and induce faith. We 
must first get a man to believe with all his heart 
that Jesus is the Christ, before we are prepared to 
take another step, and before he can take an- 
other step toward his salvation. That being true, 



14 TEXAS PULPIT. 

God necessarily and philosophically gave, as the 
first division of a book written for man's salva- 
tion, an apartment filled with testimony leading 
men to Believe in Jesus. That is the avowed pur- 
pose for which this division was written. John 
says : " These are written that you might believe 
that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God ; and that 
believing, ye might have life through his name." 
And another apostle* says : " Without faith it is 
impossible to please him ; for he that cometh to 
God must believe that he is, and that he is a re- 
warder of them that diligently seek him." Heb. 
11: 6. 



*Critics differ as to who wrote the Hebrews, some ascribe it 
to Paul; some, to Luke; some to Apollos; some, to Barnabas; 
some, to Clement. The evidence urged in favor of Paul, is to 
me very unsatisfactory. The evidence in favor of the others, 
no less so. It is inconceivable that Paul would write a long 
doctrinal epistle without once alluding to the claims of the 
Gentiles. Why any one of the above should have written it 
without attaching his name, is inexplicable. It is my settled 
conviction that Jude wrote it. He composed with great dili- 
gence such an essay on the "Great Salvation." He alludes to it 
in his short epistle— Jude 3d verse, compare Heb. 2 : 3. Fur- 
thermore, the author of Hebrews wrote to the same parties "a 
letter in few words" — a short exhortation, just such an epistle 
as Jude. Heb. 13 : 23. The style is also similar. Compare the 
doxologies— Heb. 13 : 20, 21 ; Jude 24, 25. If Jude be the author 
of Hebrews (and I am satisfied he is), the fact that no name is 
attached to it is accounted for. Sending the two epistles to- 
gether, his name attached to the short one, it was unnecessary 
to add it to the longer one. It is unnecessary to inform the 
intelligent reader that the superscription over Hebrews, "the 
epistle of Paul," etc., is a modern contrivance. 



INTEODUCTOEY DISCOURSE. 15 

But after a man becomes a believer, what must 
lie learn next ? He must learn how to become a 
Christian. No man can become a Christian till he 
learns how. If a man believes in Free Masonry, 
and wants to become a member of that ancient 
order, he must learn how to become a Mason be- 
fore he can become one. If a man wants to enter 
Odd Fellowship, or any benevolent institution of 
the world, he must learn the process of initiation. 
So, if he wants to become a member of God's 
household in Christ, he must learn how. If a for- 
eigner comes to this country from Europe, and, be- 
lieving in our democratic form of government, 
wishes to renounce the monarchy of the old world 
and become a citizen of the American Republic, 
the second step in the process is to learn how to 
become a citizen. So he learns about taking out 
his first papers, second papers, etc. Just so, if a 
man believes in Christ our king, and wishes to 
become a citizen of his kingdom, he must learn 
the process of naturalization — must learn how to 
become a member thereof. So God has given the 
second division of the New Testament to show be- 
lievers how to become Christians. 

But after the believer has obeyed the gospel, he 
then needs to know how to live the Christian life. 
Therefore, our merciful Father, in his great wis- 
dom and goodness wherewith he abounded unto 
us, has given, as the third division of the New Tes- 
tament, an apartment showing the new born 



16 TEXAS PULPIT. 

child of God how to live the Christian life. " Oh 
the depths of the riches, both of the wisdom and 
knowledge of God !" 

But when the heir of glory has learned the third 
lesson, and learned it well, his spirit yearns for 
something more from the well-spring of revelation. 
He wishes to know the destiny of the church and 
the reward of the finally faithful. But one more 
book does he need, but one more apartment can 
God give him — a book of promise and prophecy, 
to inspire the soul with hope — such we have in 
the fourth division of the New Testament, the 
Apocalypse, or Revelation. This closes the Divine 
Volume and perfects revelation, and no man can 
imagine a purpose for which another inspired 
book might be given. 

I wish to call attention to a beautiful thought 
that arrested my attention while considering an 
apparent discrepancy. In Leviticus 37; 18, we 
read : " And six branches going out of the sides 
thereof; three branches of the candlestick out of 
the one side thereof, and three branches out of 
the other side thereof." Now six is not seven. 
How reconcile ? Very easily. The central branch 
is formed by the candlestick itself running up be- 
tween the three on each side, making seven. 
That gives a prominence to the central branch, 
showing that the greatest importance attaches 
thereto. This is very significant, showing that the 
central division of the Bible possesses great pre- 



INTRODUCTOEY DISCOURSE. 17 

eminence and importance. Now, it so happens that 
the^r^i^ division of the New Testament is the cen- 
tral division of the whole Bible ; and this is the 
division which gives an account of Christ directly. 
So that, as Christ is the centre of the remedial sys- 
tem, the very division of the Bible which contains 
his biography is the central division thereof. Fur- 
thermore, Paul declares the death of Christ for our 
sin, his burial, and resurrection, to be the gospel 
in fact. Therefore, the very apartment which con- 
tains the gospel is central as to the whole Bible. 
There stands as central the division that gives an 
account directly of the miraculous birth of Jesus, 
his wonderful works, his sublime sayings, his 
death and burial, his resurrection and ascension. 
On yon side stands the Law, a school master to 
bring men to Christ ; Prophecy, which points for- 
ward to him ; the Psalms, in which inspired poets 
sing of him! There HE stands in the centre. 
And on this side stands Acts of Apostles, showing 
how to get into Christ ; Epistles*, showing how to 
live in Christ ; Revelation, showing what those in 
Christ may hope for ! Glorious! Sublime ! ! 
BEAUTIFUL ! ! ! It could not have happened by 
accident. Man could not have arranged it. It is 
the seven-fold light of God, shining upon the 
plan of the ages ! 

The importance of these divisions cannot be 
over-estimated. Imagine an inquirer uninstructed 
in this heavenly science. Without a knowledge 

3 



18 TEXAS PTXLPIT; 

©f these divisions, all is dark Ibefore Mm ; dark as 
the original chaos — inexplicable as a shadow 
without a substance ! He is just as liable to go 
to the Psalms of David to learn what to do to be 
saved, as to any part of the New Testament; just 
as liable to go to Kings or Chronicles to learn 
how to become a Christian, as to the Acts of Apos- 
tles. His attention is called to God^s plan and 
these divisions, light flashes upon his mind ! The 
light of heaven illumes his pathway \ He begins 
with the first apartment of the New Testament,, 
because he can begin nowhere else. If he would 
begin with the first apartment of the Old Testa- 
ment — the Law — having learned these divisions, 
he has learned that the law was a schoolmaster 
to bring men to Christ. He bids good-bye to the 
old schoolmaster and comes to Christ at once, and 
to the division of the Bible which presents Christ. 
If he would pause among the prophets in the sec- 
ond apartment of the Old Testament, the proph- 
ets point him forward to Christ. So, he bids adieu 
to the school of the prophets, and comes to the 
Divine Teacher himself. If he would pause in the 
third apartment of the Old Testament, to catch 
the sublime strains of the sweet psalmist of Israel,. 
David sings of Christ, and all the inspired poets 
tune their harps in harmony to sing the lay of the 
coming Messiah. Their rich melody dies on his 
ear, as he leaves them all behind and comes to 
Christ and his gospel. He begins with the first 



IJS'TKODUCTORY DISCOURSE. 19 

apartment of the New Testament, where he finds 
the question presented, What think ye of Christ, 
whose son is he ? In his investigation of this, the 
most important of all questions propounded to 
man, he is to be guided by the testimony of 
God's own witnesses concerning his Son. If, from 
all he can learn of Christ, he loves him, and is 
willing to accept him as his Savior, he is then pre- 
pared to turn to the second apartment, to know 
how to accept Christ, how to become a Christian. 
He opens the Acts of Apostles. Here he finds an 
account of the first preaching of the apostles after 
the ascension of Christ and the descent of the 
Holy Spirit to guide the apostles into all the truth; 
here he learns how they became Christians in 
those days; and just what it took to make a 
Christian then, it takes to make one now. After 
he has become a Christian, as they did, and 
united himself with the people of God ; he then 
wishes to know how to live the Christian life— 
what the duties of a disciple of Jesus are. The 
new convert is now introduced to the third division 
of his holy and infallible guide — the epistles of 
various apostles to churches and individual Chris- 
tians, .teaching them how to live the Christian life. 
Here he finds his duties in all the various rela- 
tions in life, clearly and explicitly laid down. 
Here he finds a complete guide from the lowlands 
of sorrow to the haven of eternal rest ! But when 
he has followed his Lord and Redeemer many 



20 TEXAS PULPIT. 

long years, according to tlie instruction here 
given, "begins to lean upon his staff, and bow to- 
ward the grave, his spirit pants for some more 
vivid representation of the future prospects of the 
saints than he has yet found in this divine vol- 
ume. For this reason the Lord has arranged the 
fourth apartment of this holy and infallible guide. 
As the old soldier of the cross draws near to the 
end of life's uneven way, his head whitened o'er 
with the frosts of many winters, and his face 
wrinkled by the heat of many summers, two in- 
quiries arise before his mind. One is, what shall 
be the future of the church, and shall it prevail ? 
The other is, What is there reserved for all the 
faithful in Christ, and for old soldiers of the cross 
like me, who have borne the burden and the heat 
of the day ? In order to answer these interroga- 
tions, the vail is withdrawn from between the pres- 
ent and the future; between time and eternity ; 
between this world and the world to come. He 
opens the Book of Revelation, and goes with John 
in his splendid vision on the Isle of Patmos. 
Here he learns that although the church shall 
have trials, it will have triumjDhs ; although it 
shall have conflicts, it shall have conquests, and 
that 

"Jesus shall reign, where e'er the sun 
Does his successive journies run! 
His kingdom stretch from shore to shore, 
When moons shall wax and wane no more." 



INTEODUCTORY DISCOURSE. 21 

Here lie beholds golden streets and jasper walls, 
even the gold-paved streets and jasper walls of 
the New Jerusalem coming down from God out of 
heaven! Here he beholds the river of water of 
life, clear as crystal, flowing from the Paradise of 
God ! Here, in his body bending with infirmities 
and but dim mortal eye, by the eyes of faith and 
hope, and by the telescope of revelation, he sees 
the land of immortality, the inhabitants of the 
world of bliss, even the world to come, where sor- 
row and sighing shall flee away, and death shall 
be swallowed up in victory. He realizes that 

*'The saints in all this glorious war 
Shall conquer, though they die!" 

And sees his triumph from afar, 
With hope's exultant eye ! 

Such a book, then, is the New Testament with 
its four divisions : an apartment to the unbeliever, 
leading him to believe in Jesus; a second apart- 
ment showing him how to get into Christ ; a third 
apartment showing him how to live\n Christ; and 
finally a fourth apartment showing him what the 
hopes are of those in Jesus — cheering him on his 
journey home, and pointing him forward to the 
time when he too shall join with all the pure and 
the holy, and the redeemed of all ages, and praise 
God in unending eternity! And such a book is 
the whole Bible, with all its divisions — ^X\j repre- 
sented by the golden candlestick with seven 



22 TEZAS PULPIT. 

"branches, giving a sevenfold light blending beau- 
tifully as one. 

*'Oiily light by which the barque of man 

Could navigate the sea of life, 
And gain the coasts of bliss securely. 

Only star which rose on time ! 
And on its dark and troubled billows, still. 

As generation passing swiftly by, succeeding 
generation. 
Threw a ray of heaven's own light! 

And to the hills of God, the everlasting hiUs, 
Pointed the sinner's eye." 



SERMON 11. 

THE BIBLE ANAL YZED. 

By D. Pennington, 

As preached at Eagle Springs, Tex., the first Lord's Day in 

August, 1887. 

My respected hearers, we have read the first 
chapter of Hebrews, and the second chapter to the 
close of the fourth verse. 

The first two verses of the first chapter, and the 
first three verses of the second chapter, shall form 
the basis of our discourse. These verses read as 
follows : '' God, who, at sundry times and in divers 
manners spake in time past unto the fatliers by 
the propliets^ hath in these last days spoTcen unto 
us by his son^ (Heb. 1:1,2). And again : ''There- 
fore we ought to give the more earnest heed to 
the things which we have heard, lest at any time 
we should let them slip. For if the word spoTcen 
by angels was steadfast^ and every ti-ansgression 
and disobedience received a just recompense of 
reward, how shall we escape, if we neglect so 
great a salvation which at the first began to be 
spoken by the Lord^ and was confirmed to us by 
them that heard him ?" The apostle commenced 
this letter by stating that "God spake in time 

23 



24 TEXAS PULPIT. 

past unto tJie fathers hy the prophets ^"^^ but " hath, 
in these last days spoTcen to us hy his son.^^ 

These Hebrew Christians, like all the Jews, con- 
sidered the law of Moses the most glorious insti- 
tution in the world, and even after they had em- 
braced the gospel, they were unwilling to lay it 
aside. They argued that worthy and gifted men, 
endowed with prophetic wisdom, had spoken to 
them, and that God had employed angels in giv- 
ing the law of Moses (Acts 7 : 53). To inspire 
these Christians with love and admiration for 
Christ, the apostle proceeds to point out the supe- 
rior character of the Son, through whom he hath 
spoken to us. That he is " heir of all things, that 
he made the worlds, is the brightness of the Fath- 
er's glory, the express image of his person, and 
upholds all things by the word of his power, and 
that God had commanded all the angels to wor- 
ship him, that he laid the foundations of the earth, 
and the heavens are the works of his hands." 
Thus to exalt the gospel in their minds to its 
proper authority, he argues the superiority of 
Christ to the most exalted angel that shines be- 
fore the throne of God. Paul shows that if the 
law was glorious because it was given through the 
agency of angels, then the law of Christ (the gos- 
pel) must be much more glorious, since these very 
angels are commanded to fall down and worship 
the Divine personage through whom the gospel 
was given. 



THE BIBLE ANALYZED. 25 

Having admitted in the first chapter, as he does 
in the third chapter of II. Cor., that the ministra- 
tion of death (the law of Moses) was glorious, he 
argues that the ministration of righteousness (the 
gospel) is more glorious. He then begins the sec- 
ond chapter of Heb., " Therefore we ought to give 
the more earnest heed to the things which we have 
heard " (from the Son). " For if the word spoken 
by angels was steadfast, and every transgression 
and disobedience received a just recompense of 
reward, how shall we escape if we neglect so 
great a salvation, which at the first began to be 
spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed to us by 
them that heard him." Thus the apostle shows 
how impossible it will be to escape the penalty of 
the law of Christ. The law of Moses offered no 
final release from sin or death, nor salvation in 
heaven, but Christ, having come and died, that 
"through death he might destroy him that had 
the power of death," and deliver them who, 
through fear of death, were all their life-time sub- 
ject to the bondage of sin — Christ by his death 
wiped out all the sins of the fathers, whose bleed- 
ing victims pointed to the blood of Calvary (Heb- 
9:15) and now he offers to cancel all our sins, and 
they shall be remembered no more, and to finally 
raise us from the dead and take us home to 
heaven, where we will have God for our father, 
Jesus Christ for our elder brother, angels for 
our associates, and heaven for our eternal home. 



2d TEXAS PULPIT, 

What a great salvation ; what a glorious and 
blessed promise that we shall one day see him 
and be like him! Well may Paul ask: *'How 
shall we escape if we neglect so great a salva- 
tion ?" In the first two verses of the first chapter, 
Paul refers to the law as spoken to the Jews, and 
the gospel as spoken to us. The law and the gos- 
pel, here referred to, form the two grand divisions 
of the Bible. In order to understand the Bible, we 
must keep these grand divisions in mind. Now 
that you may the more fully grasp the thought, I 
will place in one column on the left hand side of 
the blackboard, the names of all the books in the 
Old Testament, in the order we have them in the 
Bible. Beginning with the book of Genesis, Exo- 
dus, ]S"umbers, Leviticus, Deuteronomy, Joshua, 
Judges, Ruth, and so on, to the book of Malachi, 
the last book in the Old Testament, 39 in all. 
These contain what God " spolce in time past unto 
the fathers by the prophets," and they constitute 
the first division, and these all belong to the Old 
Covenant. 

Now I will write on the right hand side of the 
blackboard, in another column, the names of the 
books of the New Testament, in the order, as they 
stand. Beginning with Matthew, Mark, Luke, 
John, Acts, Romans, First and Second Corinthians, 
and so on to Revelation, the last book in the New 
Testament, twenty-seven in number. These con- 
tain what " God hath in these last days spoken to 



THE BIBLE AI^ALYZED. 27 

US hy Ms Son.^^ These constitute the law given 
for our government. Those on the left, contain 
what God spolce in time past to the Jews, and do 
not constitute the law for our government, yet 
they teach us many valuable lessons, and some 
lessons found in the law of Moses are also incor- 
porated into the New Testament, and are made 
binding by authority of Clirist. Those books of 
the Old Testament on the left, belong to the Old 
Covenant with which God found fault (Heb. 8 : 8), 
and he took it away that he might establish the 
second (Heb. 10), or better covenant, which is 
established upon better promises (Heb. 8: 6). Paul 
says in Gal. 3rd. chap. "Before faith (the gospel) 
came, we (the Jews) were kept under the law, shut 
up unto the faith (the gospel) which should after- 
wards be revealed. Wherefore the law was our 
school-master to bring us to Christ. But after 
that faith (the gospel) is come, we are no longer 
under the school-master" (Gal. 3:23, 24,25). 
There are those who object to the position that the 
law of Moses, embracing all the books of the Old 
Testament, as a law for our government, is abol- 
ished. Those who practice infant baptism object, 
because they must get patches from the old (gar- 
ment) Jewish law to patch up infant baptism 
(Matt. 9 : 16). Another class assumes that for God 
to enact a law and then repeal it, implies weak- 
ness, and shows that God was disappointed. 
Paul says: "For if that first covenant had been 



28 • TEXAS PULPIT. 

faultless, then should no place have been sought 
for the second, for finding fault with them (the 
Jews),"' he saith "behold the days come, saith the 
Lord, when I will make a new covenant " (Heb. 8 : 
7, 8). Thus, you see the fault was with the peo- 
ple. If the first covenant had been sufficient- to 
accomplish God's purpose with respect to the sal- 
vation of man, then most assuredly he never 
would have set it aside to make way for another. 
Let it not be supposed that God was disappointed 
in his purposes with respect to the Old Covenant. 
It was added to the promise made to Abraham, on 
account of transgressions, till the seed (Christ) 
should come, and it served as a school-master in 
bringing the Jews to Christ (Gal. 3 : 19-24). The 
Holy Spirit often speaks of things relatively, ac- 
cording to our conception of them (Matt. 19 : 17). 
The Jews looked upon the Old Covenant as the 
power of God for the salvation of the seed of 
Abraham according to the flesh. When viewed in 
that light, it was faulty, for by it no man could be 
saved. Hence, when God had accomplished his 
benevolent purpose in giving the law, he took it 
out of the way, and gave them a '^ better cove- 
nant, established upon better promises " (Heb. 
8 : 7). Hence, instead of the change of the law 
implying weakness on the part of God, it bears 
the very seal and impress of Divine wisdom. The 
human race, in its infancy, was like the little 
child, and had to be taught by object lessons. You 



THE BIBLE ANALYZED. 29 

teach the child by pictures until its mind is suffi- 
ciently developed to reason upon the real to which 
the pictures point. So, God began by giving the 
Jews a shadow, type, or picture of good things to 
come (Heb. 10 : 1), and these shadows were but a 
figure for the time then present (Heb. 9:9). Paul, 
in speaking of the Jews and Gentiles, who had 
been separated by the law of Moses, says of 
Christ : " Who hath broken down the middle wall 
of partition between us, having abolished in his 
flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments 
contained in ordinances for to make in himself of 
twain (the Jews and Gentiles) one new man 
(church), so making peace, and that he might 
reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, 
having slain the enmity thereby'- (Eph. 2 : 14, 15, 
16). Again Paul says, " Blotting out the hand- 
writing of ordinances which was against us which 
was contrary to us, and took it out of the way 
nailing it to his cross " (Col. 2 : 14). When the 
law was nailed to the cross, it was killed, or its 
authority destroyed. When Peter went to Cor- 
nelius, the first Gentile to whom the gospel was 
preached, about eight years after the apostles were 
commissioned to preach the gospel to every 
creature, he said : "Ye know that it is an unlaw- 
ful thing for a man that is a Jew to keep company 
or come unto one of another nation, but God hath 
showed me that I should call no man common or 
unclean " (Acts 10 : 28), and when Peter had re- 



30 TEXAS PULPIT. 

turned to Jerusalem, lie had to defend himself for 
having gone to the G-entiles to preach to them. 
Read the eleventh chapter of Acts of Apostles, and 
you will see that the disciples did not understand 
that Christ had taken the "law out of the way, 
nailing it to the cross." Grod had promised Abra- 
ham that in his seed all the families of the earth 
should be blessed (Gen. 12 : 3 and 22 : 18). 

Now, to demonstrate to the world that God had 
kept his promise, it was necessary to keep the 
seed of Abraham a distinct people until the seed 
(Christ) should come (Gal. 3 : 19). The law was 
added four hundred and thirty years after the 
promise was made to Abraham (Gal. 3 : 17). Paul 
says, " The law was added because of transgres- 
sions, until the seed (Christ) should come " (Gal. 
3 : 19). Thus you see that four hundred and thirty 
years after the promise was made to Abraham in 
the land of Ur of Chaldea, at Mt. Sinai, the 
law was thrown around the seed of Abraham to 
serve as a partition wall between them and other 
nations. Had it not been for this partition wall 
(the law), making it an unlawful thing for the 
seed of Abraham to intermarry with other nations, 
the seed of Abraham would have been lost in the 
ocean of human beings, and no man would have 
known whether God had kept his promise to 
Abraham or not. Let me ask you. How many per- 
sons are there to-day, who could trace their geneal- 
ogy back more than three or four generations? 



THE BIBLE ANALYZED. 31 

But few can trace "back further than grandfather, 
or great-grandfather. Thus you see how utterly 
impossible it would have been, without the law of 
Moses, for it to have been shown that Christ was 
the long promised Messiah. The settlement of 
the seed of Abraham in the land of Palestine was 
also to keep them a distinct people, that the world 
might see that God was a covenant-keeping God. 
Hence, when we understand the objects of the law 
of Moses, we see in it the very seal and impress 
of Divine wisdom. The law of Moses, with its 
penalties in this life, was a necessity to teach man 
that God will punish the sinner. Hence, we learn 
from the history of God's dealings with the people 
under the law, that he will vindicate the majesty 
of his law. Paul says, " We ought to give the 
more earnest heed to the things which we have 
heard lest at any time we should let them slip, for 
if the word spoken by angels was steadfast, and 
every transgression and disobedience received a 
just recompense of reward, how shall we escape if 
we neglect so great a salvation which at the first 
began to be spoken by the Lord ? " Now, before 
you answer the Apostle's question, read the his- 
tory of God's dealings with man in all ages. 
Behold Adam and Eve driven from the garden of 
Eden, and the very ground cursed on account of 
Adam's sin, and caused to bring forth thorns and 
thistles, and in sorrow Adam was doomed to eat 
bread all the days of his life. When you see the 



32 TEXAS PULPIT. 

honest laboring man, almost exhausted, and the 
great drops of sweat rolling down off his temples, 
remember that those drops of sweat point us back 
to the first sin that was ever committed on earth. 
When we ride over the hills and behold the this- 
tles and thorns, we are reminded of Adam's sin. 
It does not follow, as a logical conclusion from 
these premises, that we have no use for the Old 
Testament. The objector, who assumes this as a 
result, misapprehends our position. The Old Tes- 
tament is the ground of our hope, as well as our 
fear. Paul says, " Whatsoever things were written 
aforetime, were written for our learning, that we 
through patience and comfort of the Scriptures 
might have hope" (Rom. 15: 4). We learn from 
the Old Testament, that God is not slack concern- 
ing his promises, that when man obeyed, he 
always blessed him, and this certainty of the 
promised blessing inspires us with hope, which is 
as an anchor sure and steadfast to the soul, and 
this hope gives us comfort in all our trials and 
difficulties. Paul tells of God punishing the chil- 
dren of Israel for their sins after he had delivered 
them from Egyptian bondage, and says: "Now 
these things were our examples to the intent that 
we should not lust after evil things as they also 
lusted" (1 Cor. 10:6). And again: "IS'ow all 
these things happened unto them for examples 
and they are written for our admonition " (1 Cor. 
10 : 11). They are written to admonish you, and 



THE BIBLE A:N^ALYZED. 33 

all of Adam's race. "He that despised Moses' 
law died without mercy ; of how much sorer pun- 
ishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy 
who hath trodden under foot the .Son of God?" 
(Heb. 10 : 28, 29.) I refer you to a few cases under 
the law of Moses, to-wit : Korah, Dathan, Abiram, 
and the two hundred and fifty that were with 
them, who, on account of their sins, "the earth 
opened her mouth and swallowed them ujd, and 
they went down alive into the pit." Again, Uzzah, 
with the purest of motives, caught the ark lest it 
should fall and break, and he violated that law 
which provided that none but the Levites should 
touch it, and though he did it with perfectly good 
motives, " the Lord smote him and he died before 
the Lord" (L Chron. 13). Thus, God has taught 
us that we cannot plead honesty of purpose for 
disobedience. Jude says : " I will put you in 
remembrance, though you once knew this, how the 
Lord, having saved the people out of the land of 
Egypt, afterwards destroyed them that believed 
not; and the angels which kept not their first 
estate, but left their own habitation, he hath 
reserved in everlasting chains under darkness 
unto the judgment of the great day, even as 
Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities about them 
in like manner, giving themselves over to fornica- 
tion, and going after strange flesh, are set forth 
for an example, sufi'ering the vengeance of eternal 
fire." Read also the 19th chapter of Genesis, and 



34 TEXAS PULPIT. 

see the fire rain from the Lord, and behold the 
smoke going np as the smoke of a mighty furnace. 
Lot and his wife and two daughters leave the city 
behind, under command not to look back; but 
Lot's wife disobeyed and became a pillar of salt ! 
The time would fail me to refer to the many 
examples given in the Bible. But these are suffi- 
cient to teach us that God will punish the sinner. 
If God had not punished sin, and blessed obedi- 
ence in this life, but had instituted the gospel in 
the beginning with its penalties and blessings in 
the future world, we would not have known that 
sin would be punished and obedience blessed, 
unless we could have sent messengers over into 
the future world, to bring back a report. I have 
spoken of the grand and leading designs of the 
Old Testament, and now I can only speak briefly 
of the New Testament and its divisions and de- 
signs. The 27 books of the New Testament may 
be divided into three departments. First: The 
Jews' department. Second : The world's depart- 
ment, and third, the church's department. Mat- 
thew, Mark, Luke and John constitute the Jews' 
department. From these four books we can learn 
that our Savior, John the Baptist, the twelve 
apostles and the Seventy, confined their labors 
exclusively to the Jews. Jesus positively forbac^e 
the apostles preaching to any but the Jews (Matt. 
10 : 5-6) Thus you see that during the time of 
which these four books give an account, no 



THE BIBLE AIS^ALYZED. 35 

man was anthorized to preach to any bnt Jews ; 
but, when Jesus died, he nailed the law to the 
cross, and took it out of the way, and it was no 
more an unlawful thing to go to one of another 
nation ; and after the" resurrection, and just before 
his ascension, he said, '' Go ye into all the world 
and preach the gospel to ertery creature!''' Here 
for the first time is salvation offered to the world, 
and this commission brings us to the second de-. 
partment, the book of Acts of Apostles. This 
one book, is the history of how the apostles 
preached the gospel to the world, and it is the 
only book in the Bible that tells how any sinner 
was saved after Jesus shed his blood to atone for 
the sins of the world. No one should go to the 
law of Moses, Psalms of David, Job or the proph- 
ets to learn how to be saved, for in Acts of 
Apostles alone^ is salvation offered in the name of 
Christ. This one book. Acts of Apostles, has only 
twenty-eight chapters, and you can read it 
through every day in the year. It has one thou- 
sand and seven verses. If you will commit to 
memory one verse to repeat at each meal, jou can 
commit to memory the whole of this important 
book in about eleven months. From this one hook 
we learn how people were converted and how 
churches were constituted. From the sixteenth 
chapter of this book we learn how the Philippians 
were converted, and from the letter addressed to 
them afterwards we learn what was required of 



36 TEXAS PULPIT. 

them after their conversion. From the seventeenth 
chapter of this book we learn how the people of 
Thessalonica were converted, an^ from the two 
letters addressed to them afterwards we learn 
what they are taught to do as Christians. From 
the eighteenth chapter we learn how the people of 
Corinth were converted, and from Paul's two let- 
ters to them, after their conversion, we learn how 
they were taught to live the Christian life. And 
from the nineteenth we learn how the Ephesians 
were converted, and from Paul's letter we learn 
how they were taught to live as children of God. 
Iq this letter Paul predicates their salvation on the 
grace of God (Eph. 2 ; 8-9,10) ; and if you desire to 
know how they were saved by the grace of God, 
just turn back and read the nineteenth chapter of 
Acts of Apostles. And whenever you find salva- 
tion, or justification, in the epistles, predicated of 
faith, grace, baptism, or any other condition, just 
read the history of their conversion, in Acts of 
Apostles, and you will find salvation was never 
attained by any one gospel item alone. 

To the anxious sinner we would say, read care- 
fully the book of Acts, and you will soon learn 
how to become a child of God and an heir of 
heaven. Suj)pose the apostle Peter was to make 
his appearance in some of the modern revivals, and 
should be invited to preach, and no one should 
know that it was Peter, but inspired by the same 
spirit that gave him utterance on the day of Pen- 



THE BIBLE ANALYZED. 37 

tecost, he should tell the inquiring sinners to " Re- 
pent and be baptized every one of you in the name 
of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins." (Acts 
2 : 38.) What would the leaders of said revival 
call him ? Would they give him the right hand of 
fellowship ? Would they not exclude the unknown 
preacher from the meeting? If they would not 
fellowship Peter in their meetings here, will he fel- 
lowship them forever in the meeting above ? My 
friends, you can put this matter from you here, 
but you can not put it from you when you stand 
before God in the judgment. May God help us to 
be honest with ourselves, honest with our fellow- 
men, and honest with God. Let us study these 
lessons, and practice them to the honor of God 
and the salvation of our own souls, that we may 
live forever in heaven, and enjoy the smiles of our 
heavenly Father, the society of angels and the re- 
deemed from earth, " where sickness, sorrow, pain 
and death are felt and feared no more." • 



SERMON- in. 

THE SPIRIT OF MAN. 

By J. W. LowBEK. 

Text. — "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. " — Acts 7 : 59. 

The soul denotes that part of the intellectual 
man which relates him to the lower animal, and 
the spirit, that part of man which causes him to 
worship and anticipate a future state. While 
soul and spirit are represented in both Hebrew 
and Greek by different words, they are sometimes 
used interchangeably. In fact the word soul by a 
figure of rhetoric is sometimes used to denote the 
whole person. The apostle uses it in this sense 
when he states that there were eight souls saved 
by water. The spirit points to God and the 
future. Jesus^ when upon the cross, commended 
his spirit into the hands of his Father, and the 
dying Stephen said, "Lord Jesus receive my 
spirit." 

DIFFEEEI^'CES BETWEEN^ MAN^ AND BRUTE. 



"Who knoweth the spirit of man, that goeth 
upward, and the spirit of the beast that goeth 

38 



THE SPIRIT OF MAN. 39 

downward to the earth? " (Eccs. 3 : 21). The up- 
right position is natural to man, but not to the 
animal. Man is a being of progress ) the animal 
is stationary. Man is a ruler in this world ; the 
animal, his servant. Man looks up to Grod ; the 
animal is no higher than this world. Man has 
language, art, science, and religion; the animal 
has none of these things. Man desires a future 
state ; the animal is satisfied with the present. 
No physicist can explain away the fact that God 
created man in his own image ; and the animal, 
for the use of man. With the animal, death ends 
all ; with man, it is an introduction to a higher 
life. 

We do not see how any physicist can carefully 
study the following points, and then regard man 
simply as the result of evolution ; 

1. Man differs from the brute in certain physi- 
cal characteristics. He is the only animal that is 
clearly two-footed and two-handed ; and, conse- 
quently, fitted for an erect posture. The release 
of the upper extremity from all use in locomotion, 
and the erect posture, enable man to subdue nat- 
ure and study the heavens. Man is the only ani- 
mal that has a chin, and phrenologists teach that 
there is something wrong in the upper story when 
a man is deficient in chin. 

2. Man is a scientific being, and seeks an ex- 
planation of phenomena. The brute never does 
this ; it only has the faculty of sense — ^perception. 



40 TEXAS PULPIT. 

In addition to this, self-consciousness, reason, un- 
derstanding, and judgment are necessary to con- 
stitute man a scientific being. 

3. Man is a being of progress, but the brute is 
perfectly stationary. Man crosses a river on a 
log, and from this experience constructs boats and 
ships ; the brute crosses over, and is no wiser. 
To constitute man a being of progress, it is only 
necessary to add imagination to the faculties 
which have already been mentioned. 

4. Man differs from the brute in being the sub- 
ject of moral and religious obligation. To the 
faculties mentioned, we add conscience and free 
will, and man is a moral and religious being. 
The brute is not blamed for its acts, but man is 
responsible for his. Says one : " The brute can be 
so educated as to reason, possess free will and 
conscience," but this is not true. The elephant is 
often referred to as a remarkable example of in- 
telligence ; but it is very much overrated. The 
showman teaches the elephant to perform by ap- 
plying plates of hot iron to its feet, while there is 
music ; and removing them when the music ceases. 
By an associated impulse, it commences perform- 
ing when the music commences. Solomon cer- 
tainly reached the correct conclusion when he 
said, " Then shall the dust return to the earth as 
it was, and the spirit shall return unt'o God who 
gave it " (Eccs. 12; 7). 



THE SPIEIT OF MA]^. 41 

THE SUBSTAK'TIAL N'ATURE OF THE SPIRIT OF MAN. 

When God created man, he breathed into him 
the breath of lives, and he became a living being. 
The Hebrew word for life (Gen. 2:7) is hayyim, 
from the verb hayay, to live ; it is a plural num- 
ber, and should be translated " lives " instead of 
life. This takes another prop from under the edi- 
fice of materialism. 

The body is the home in which the spirit 
dwells. When the house wears out, or is de- 
stroyed, the inhabitant must necessarily leave it. 
Any injury done to the house will for a time affect 
its dweller. It is not difficult to understand why 
a vigorous mind requires for its home a strong 
body. The condition of the stomach and the 
action of the heart affect the apprehension, the 
comprehension, and the memory. A change in 
the structure and functions of the brain induces 
insanity, which, indeed, is a very helpless and 
deplorable condition. From the wonderful influ- 
ence of the body upon the mind, the following 
arguments have been deduced in favor of mate- 
rialism : 

1. That we know the mind only as connected 
with a material organism. The activities and 
phenomena of the mind are exerted through the 
body, and we only know the mind as connected 
with a material structure. 

2. The power and capacities of the mind are 



42 TEXAS PULPIT. 

developed along with those of the body. As the 
lower organs of the body are the first developed, 
so the lower powers of the mind are the first un- 
folded. 

3. All our knowledge chronologically conies 
from sensation; so, the mind is dependent upon 
the body for much of its knowledge and many of 
its enjoyments. 

4. Our first acquired ideas all have reference to 
sensible objects. From these facts the materialist 
concludes that the mind is only a culmination of 
a series of material existences. 

To the above we must add the following facts, 
and then I think we can safely reach a conclusion : 

1. The phenomena of mind are in kind unlike 
the phenomena of the body. Extension and im- 
penetrability are the essential properties of mat- 
ter; while thought, feeling, and volition are the 
essential attributes and characteristics of mind. 

2. While our knowledge is chronologically 
developed by sensation, there are primary princi- 
ples which logically exist in the mind previous to 
this development. The maxim, Nlliil in intellectu, 
quod non prius in. sensu^ is not strictly correct. 
There are some things in the intellect not in sen- 
sation ; for there are ideas and emotions derived 
from man's moral nature. 

3. The mind is self-active. The brain is its 
organ, and through this instrument it communi- 
cates itself to the world. Every mental action 



THE SPIRIT OF MAl^. 43 

uses np some brain tissue, and there has to be a 
new supply. While the brain is the organ of 
the mind, the brain is material, and matter cannot 
move itself. The mind must therefore be impelled 
to action by its own energy. 

4. The mind distinguishes itself from the brain. 
There were some ancient philosophers who claimed 
that the world created God, instead of having been 
created by him. Analogous to this is the doc- 
trine of modern materialism, which teaches that 
the brain is not the instrument of the mind, but a 
machine which produces the mind. The most 
eminent Greek philosophers clearly distinguished 
between the mind and the organ through which it 
acts ; and we, by self-consciousness, can certainly 
do the same thing. The artist is conscious that 
he forms in his mind a picture before he places it 
upon canvas. There is a great distinction between 
a musician and the instrument upon which he 
plays. Not even a Beethoven could play well 
upon a poor organ; nor can the mind act well 
when it has a poor brain upon which to play. 

THE DESTINY OF THE SPIRIT. 

The intermediate state denotes the condition of 
man between death and the resurrection. Paul 
prayed that the whole spirit, soul and body, be 
preserved blameless (1 Thess. 5 : 23). This clearly 
teaches that man is a trinity, consisting of spirit, 



44 TEXAS PULPIT. 

soul and body. Our Lord has taught us not to 
fear Mm who can kill only the body ; but rather 
fear him who can destroy both soul and body in 
hell (Matt. 10 : 28). Here the word soul is doubt- 
less used in the sense of spirit. The Sadducees 
were materialists, and did not believe in a future 
state. They, like modern materialists, considered 
themselves invincible in argument, and they fre- 
quently had discussions with the Pharisees — their 
opponents. On one occasion, when Jesus had 
silenced the Pharisees, they came with their favor- 
ite question. He soon answered them, and then 
presented an argument which reduced them to 
complete quiescence. He insisted that the dead 
are raised — from the fact that Moses at the bush 
called the Lord " the God of Abraham, the God of 
* Isaac, and the God of Jacob (Luke 20 : 37, 38). 
He is not the God of the dead, but of the living; 
for all live unto him." Abraham, Isaac and Jacob 
had been dead several centuries, yet they were 
alive unto God. 

On the sublime occasion of the transfiguration 
of Christ, there were representatives from the 
present state, from the intermediate, and from the 
eternal. Peter, James and John were from the 
present state ; Moses from the intermediate, and 
Elijah from the eternal. The apostle could after- 
wards refer to this occasion, and say, " we were 
witnesses of his majesty.^' On the holy mount 
they heard God acknowledge the authority of his 



THE SPIEIT OF MAIf. 45 

Son, whom they were commanded to obey. Matt. 
17, and II. Peter 1 : 17. 

We read in the Bible of the outward man and 
the inward man, and Paul says, " though the out- 
ward man perish, the inward man is renewed day 
by day," (II. Cor. 4 : 16). As the outward man is 
the counterpart of the inward man, we must con- 
clude that the inward man is a conscious entity, 
which will remain conscious after death ; for when 
the outward man perishes, it is renewed. That 
there can be consciousness out of the body is 
clearly taught by Paul in II. Cor. 12 : 2-4. This lan- 
guage clearly teaches the following facts : (1) That 
the man of whom Paul speaks was not the body, 
but dwelt in the body ; (2) That the man could 
have been caught away to paradise in the body ; 
(3) That the man could have been caught away to 
paradise out of the body ; (4) That the man could 
hear unspeakable things out of the body as well 
as in it. 

The parable of the rich man and Lazarus very 
plainly teaches the conscious existence of man 
after death (Luke 16 : 19-31). It is claimed by 
the materialist that this parable has reference to 
the Jews and Gentiles. This cannot be, for the 
following reasons : (1) Both the rich man and Laz- 
arus died, so the scene is placed in death. If 
Lazarus represents the conversion of the Gentiles, 
he should have passed from death to life instead 
of passing from life to death. (2) If death in the 



46 TEXAS PULPIT. 

case of Lazarus means conversion, it means the 
same in the case of the rich man ; for he died also, 
i. e., in like manner. To whom was he converted? 
(3) There was a great gulf between the parties, so 
that passage to and fro was impossible. The wall 
of partition between Jews and Gentiles was taken 
down. (4) Under the gospel there is no differ- 
ence between Jews and Gentiles (Acts 15:8,9); so 
the parable cannot denote simply the condition of 
the Jews and the Gentiles. (5) If the rich man 
represents the whole house of Israel, what is meant 
by the language, "my father's house." (6) Who 
was the father ? It could not have been Abraham ; 
for he said, "Father Abraham, send Lazarus to 
my father's house." The Jews always called 
Abraham their father, but this man also called an- 
other father, so that he could not have represented 
simply the Jewish nation. (7) The rich man could 
not have represented the whole house of Israel ; 
for he had five brothers at home, at his father's 
house. (8) The Jews and Gentiles, as such, can- 
not be indicated in the parable, for the Jews never 
called the Gentiles brethren. The scene in the 
parable is laid in the realms of death, and the con- 
dition of man after death is clearly indicated. 

The three Greek words, tartarus^ hades and ge- 
henna are represented in the Bible by the one Eng- 
lish word hell. The word gehenna alone denotes 
the receptacle of the wicked after the resurrection. 
Hades simply denotes the unseen, and includes 



THE SPIRIT OF MAN. 47 

tartarus and paradise. At the judgment, Tiades 
will be destroyed, and the wicked consigned to a 
place of endless doom. "And death and Jiades 
were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second 
death" (Rev. 20 : 14). 

The apostle recognizes the subtantial in the 
things not seen. He teaches that the seen things 
are temporal ; while the unseen things are eternal. 
We are, therefore, to look not to the things that 
are seen, but to the things that are not seen. This 
language appears paradoxical, but it is not, for 
the same God who has given us outward eyes to 
behold outward things, has also given us inward 
eyes by which we can perceive things spiritual 
and eternal. We can look with these inward eyes 
to that which is most substantial and durable. 
The truly substantial is something more enduring 
than flesh or blood, than sky or air, earth or sea. 

In this world the most substantial and enduring 
things are those which we cannot see. Oxygen, 
hydrogen, nitrogen, and all simple forms, will ever 
remain pure and incorruptible ; for we cannot 
think of the annihilation of the ultimate forms of 
matter. If the skeptic wishes the eternal, he 
must cling to the unseen even in nature. The 
apostle is perfectly scientific, when he declares the 
unseen things to be eternal. 

The stronger our convictions become with regard 
to things not seen, the less real the present be- 
comes ; and the unseen becomes more of a Positiv- 



48 TEXAS PULPIT. 

ism. Men have been so much in the habit of 
calling the fature state unreal because spiritual, 
and unsubstantial because invisible, that the peo- 
ple now look upon a future existence as a kind of 
dream-land. The reason why the character of 
Christ has so written itself upon the face of civ- 
ilization, is the fact that its chief element was 
faith in God and the future state. Christianity 
places man upon a border-land, with two natures 
capable of inhabiting two worlds. The margin 
between them is indeed very narrow ; it is like the 
colors of the rainbow, we cannot tell where one 
ceases and the other begins. The body is condi- 
tioned, and confined to this world ; but the spirit 
may live in the other. It may long for a better 
home than this world can give, and desire to 
depart, and be with Christ. 

Our Savior promised his disciples that he would 
go and prepare a substantial home for them. Its 
location was to be a magnificent city, ornamented 
with the most costly and beautiful jewels. The 
house would contain many mansions, suited to the 
wants and capacities of all. Paul knew that God 
had prepared such a building for his people ; and 
he was ready for the present tabernacle to be 
taken down at any time. Man's future home will 
be substantial ; the body in which he will live will 
be spiritual and incorruptible, and his redemption 
will be complete — body, soul and spirit. 



THE SPIRIT OF MAN. 49 

The conscious spirit will not sleep 
In a grave of dreamless night; 
But will bring even from the deep, 
The body into endless light. 

The longings of the human soul 
Are God-like germs that will grow, 
Until man's fondest hopes unfold, 
A heavenly fruitage unknown below. 

The conscious memory does outlive 
The changes of every seven year's span; 
If God does to it such power give, 
Why not it survive the age of man ? 

Thought must survive the shock of death, 
It mingles not with lifeless clay, 
So when man breathes his latest breath, 
The spirit goes to endless day. 
(4) 



SERMON lY. 

THE TWO LAWS AWD THE OUTWABD AND 
INWARD MAN 

By J. A. J. Bradford. 

Taking a retrospective view of the Jewish, dis- 
pensation, we are led at once to conclude, that 
God reigned as temporal King, and that nation 
represents the man of the "flesh." Gral. 4 : 23, etc. 

We have for oar subject, The law governing the 
temporal man and the law governing the spiritual 
man. We now desire taking up some of the ex- 
amples of God's dealings with the Jews and show 
as we think they represent the temporal man, al- 
though they may point to and are types of the 
spiritual man and dispensation. 

Calling your attention now first to that of 
Abram, Gen. 12: 1, etc, "Now the Lord had said 
unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country and from 
thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a 
land that I will shew thee. And I will make of 
thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and 
make thy name great, and thou shalt be a bless- 
ing." 

We find again in chapter seventeen, commenc- 
ing at the first verse, when Abram was ninety-nine 

50 



THE TWO LAWS. 51 

years old, the Lord appeared to him again, 
(and in the second verse) telling Kim that he would 
make a covenant between them. And in the fifth 
verse, we find God changing the name from Abram 
to Abraham, giving the reason for so doing. Then 
in verse tenth, we find what the covenant was 
that Abraham should keep. " This is my cove- 
nant which ye shall keep, between me and you 
and thy seed after thee. Every man child among 
you shall be circumcised." 

We find all these things pertaining simply to 
earth, and are temporal blessings. See Abram as 
he stands out and looks toward heaven and also 
as he is gazing upon the sand of the sea shore, 
" So shall thy seed be." Honors being promised, 
blessings bestowed, all temporal. Nothing said 
of eternity. 

Leaving Abraham, we find Isaac and Jacob re- 
ceiving the same earthly promises, which God is 
bestowing on them as his people. 

Taking our stand now with those task-masters 
in Egypt as they watch these servants, not the 
servants of God, but of Pharoah. 

You ask, who are these, this people called 
"Israel?" Are those Israelites the same people 
that God has been blessing and of which he prom- 
ised to make a great nation ? If so, why are they 
here and why should God sufi'er them to be thus 
cruelly treated, and their offsprings destroyed? 
(Ex. 1 : 22). We answer, their own conduct brought 



52 TEXAS PULPIT. 

them into their present and lamentable condition. 

We are aware of the fact that God in speaking 
to Abrani (Gen. 15; 13), told him of the fact that 
his seed, should become a stranger in a land that 
was not their's, but he would brijig them up again 
out of thafc land, etc. But this does not prove that 
God caused them to become servants of that 
nation. 

Paul, inHom. 6: 16, says, "Know ye not, that 
to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his 
servants ye are," etc. We claim that this people 
were guilty of sin and that against God, their ruler 
(Gen. 50 : 17), referring back to the time when 
the brethren of Joseph sold him into Egypt, etc. 
Oftimes there is good resulting out of evil, as we 
will be able to show as we proceed. Again, it was 
in the power of the children of Israel to remain or 
even go back to their own land, the land of Canaan 
given them for an inheritance forever, instead of 
that, they remained in a land that was not their 
own, putting their necks under the yoke, becoming 
the servants of Pharaoh yielding themselves to 
him. 

We next take up the line of march with the 
children of Israel as they now go forth following 
their leader, Moses, whom God hath sent to deliver 
this people, and carry back to their own land 
"Canaan." 

God, at all times, uses means by which he ac- 
complishes the end desired. First, making man a 



THE TWO LAWS. 53 

free moral agent; second, convincing him by 
means, not by force. Moses now goes before the 
people telling them what is to be done, asking 
them to go, etc. 

But let us leave this part of the subject and fol- 
low them through the wilderness; why do this 
people wander and tarry so long in the wilder- 
ness ? Why not pass at once through and go over 
into their own land and possess it ? We can see 
a reason why. 

On account of their sins in murmuring against 
God, they were caused to wander. We find that 
all who left Egpyt twenty years and upward, fell 
in the wilderness. See Numbers 14 : 29, 30, and 
26 : 65, also 1 Cor. 10 : 5, 6. Only two of the 
mighty host that was numbered, ever entered the 
promised land. We again look at this people as 
they wander in the wilderness, and find them as 
they stand at the foot of Mount Sinai. See the 
lightening, hear the thundering voice of God and 
see the people tremble. What now ? God is 
going to give them a law that shall govern them 
throughout the age and dispensation, Moses be- 
coming law-giver. This people were a nation and 
now receiving a law as a nation, not a spiritual 
law, but a temporal law, one that could be abol- 
ished, one written on tables of stones, not the 
heart. 

We might be somewhat tedious and speak of 
the fiery serpents sent to bite the people on ac- 



54 TEXAS PULPIT. 

count of their disobedience, and how God pro- 
vided a remedy. But we hasten on, taking the 
children of Israel out of the charge of Moses, who 
had himself disobeyed, and God would not permit 
to enter the promised land, but only allowed him 
to look on its beauty, and theif buried him in the 
valley, on the other side of the Jordan. 

Joshua, one of the two faithful, now takes up 
the line of March and leads the people across the 
Jordan to possess the land, driving out the people 
who were then inhabiting it, fighting the battles, 
conquering the enemy and coming off victorious. 
And, once more in their own land, a prosperous 
people, and as long as we find them in the path of 
obedience, we still find them prosperous and 
happy. But we stop here, leaving you to travel 
the journey with the children of Israel on down 
through the ages until God comes to make the 
New Covenant with the house of Israel (Heb. 8 : 8, 
etc., Jer. 31 : 31). Looking back over the Jewish 
dispensation, what is our conclusion ? 

1. God ruled as a temporal king. 

2. The Jewish people were his subjects. 

3. The laws he gave were of a temporal nature, 
and that he meted out his blessings and punish- 
ments here in this life. 

4. That the people knew but very little if any- 
thing of eternity. Then, arriving at this conclu- 
sion, the question is asked what will become of that 
people in the day of judgment and in eternity? 



THE TWO LAWS. 55 

IVill they be saved the same as those who obey 
the Gospel? 

I answer, yes ! and have already given some 
proof. 

Now if God only spoke to them and com- 
manded them concerning things of this life, and 
the whole future was a dark picture to them as 
given through prophecies ; I say if this is true, 
and we think we have proved it, and there is an 
abundance of proof of it, how could that people 
be held to account for something they knew noth- 
ing of. We claim all who lived from Adam to the 
coming of Christ will be saved. 

Christ, in John 15 : 22, says, " If I had not come 
and spoken unto them, they had not had sin ; but 
now they have no cloak for their sin." But he 
came the light of tlie world, saying, ''I am the 
resurrection and the life," teaching the people of 
heaven and eternal glory, opening up a new and 
living way, and now they have seen and heard 
him as a teacher, and they have no cloak for a 
covering, must accept, or be lost. Again Paul 
says in Rom. 11 : 26, And so all Israel shall be 
saved, etc. The law was only a '' school-master to 
bring us to Christ," says Paul. 

*' Search the Scriptures," says Christ, "for in 
them ye think ye have eternal life, but they are 
they which testify of me." Now if there were a 
law by which the children of Israel was governed 
as a people, fleshy there must be two laws at the 



56 TEXAS PULPIT. 

present; or rather, a law now directed to the in- 
ward man, anS. one to the outward man. "We 
claim there is, and those laws are fixed ^ estab- 
lished, Heb. 1 ; 1,2. " God who at sundry times, 
and in divers manner, spoke in time past unto the 
fathers by the prophets, hath in these last days 
spoken unto us by his son." And by reading the 
commission given the twelve by our Savior, we 
find the spiritual part of the kingdom was given 
over to them to instruct. 

And commencing with the Acts we have all that 
is necessary to bring men to Christ. Or at least,, 
we have recorded in Acts, all the conversions that 
are recorded. 

We next have the letters from the different 
writers telling us how to live Christians in 
order to have eternal life. We have in the New 
Testament Scriptures an abundance of direct 
promises of eternal life by complying with the 
requirements of the gospel, and threats of eternal 
punishment if we obey not the gospel. God uses 
means by which man is brought to accept and 
obey the gospel, the same free moral agency ex- 
ists as did under the Old. Man can come to 
1 Christ or he can stay away, but still there are 
inducements held out to man. "God so loved the 
world that he gave his Son to die." The goodness 
of God leadeth men to repentance. 

To-day, when the story of the cross is told, and 
people are willing to accept Christ as the Savior, 



THE TWO LAWS. 57 

they are drawn by him, on hearing of his wonder- 
ful love for them. 

But what about the temporal man? What 
about the woes, the afflictions, sorrows and death 
that beset him in this life ? Are not these sent by 
God to bring about a reformation in order that 
the spiritual man may be saved? I answer no. 
That is not God's power to salvation, as we have 
answered above. The goodness of God leads men 
to repentance. ^'For as in Adam all die, even so 
in Christ shall all be made alive " 1 Cor. 15 : 22. 
And if it was not for a violation of the physical 
law, man would live out his three score and ten, or 
the time allotted to him, would go to his grave in 
a good old age ; but, alas ! how few observe the 
law, to do it. 

And now, in conclusion, let me disabuse the 
minds of any who may accuse God of breaking 
any of his promises, and gf those who say that 
God takes from us our loved ones to bring ns to 
repentance, let me say to you, study the word of 
God, and the law of nature as pertaining to the 
physical man. Let me give just here an illustra- 
tion of the ignorance of some who claim to be 
teachers, " A preacher once endeavoring to prove 
to the people the great power of God, told of a 
family consisting of husband, wife and two daugh- 
ters, the man being wicked, the wife and two 
daughters being religious. God in order to bring 
the man to repentance, takes one of the lovely 



58 TEXAS PULPIT. 

daughters : failing in this, takes the next, then the 
wife ; and still no repentance. There is the man 
left alone to battle with the world's sad bereave- 
ments, and still out of Christ. But now God works 
his wonderful power. One day while riding alone 
in his fine carriage, God causes the horses to run 
away throwing the man to the ground breaking his 
legs ; and now he becomes a Christian." 

Think how ignorant that preacher was, forget- 
ting that the word of God tells us " The gospel is 
the power of God unto salvation," also " The good- 
ness of God leadeth men to repentance." 

Not long ago, I stood beside the lifeless remains 
of one whom the world had learned to love, and 
whose companion was all broken up with grief, 
and while many were administering words of con- 
solation, these words came from one who claimed 
to understand the teaching of God's word, " Mary, 
dry your tears, God hg-s taken Joe, and you must 
be reconciled." But the answer came back in 
quick return : " God did not take him away from 
me, killing him , but Joe sickened and died — the 
doctors could not cure him." 

IS'ow, here is the point, God has provided us 
with means to bring about a reformation. Also, 
in bringing back health where we have not viola- 
ted the physical law to too great extent. Although 
we find diseases taking from us many who have 
not violated the physical law, but in tracing it 
back we find the law was broken by some one. 



THE TWO LAWS. 59 

Medicine is in the earth. It is the duty of the 
physician to take therefrom, and heal the sick, 
and give God the glory. But when we come to 
stand on the verge of the tomb, having lived to a 
good old age, all the physicians of earth could not 
stay the hand of death. " It is appointed unto 
man once to die." 

• We stop here, asking you to take God's word, 
as the man of your council, and if you are ever 
saved, it will be through its instructions. " Or de- 
spisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbear- 
ance and long suffering, not knowing that the 
goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?" Rom. 
2 : 47. " I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ ; 
for it is the power of God unto salvation to every 
one that believe th. (Rom. 1 : 1-6.) " And the Spirit 
and the bride say Come, And let Mm that heareth 
say. Come ; and let him that is a thirst come ; 
and whosoever will, let him take the water of life 
freely." Rev. 22 : 17. 

Note. — I am constrained to dissent from the view expressed 
in the foregoing, that all Avho lived before Christ will be saved. 
If the writer merely maintained that they would have an op- 
portunity, his opinion would be more plausible. Ignorance is 
not a Savior. — Editor. 



SERMON Y. 
THE TWO e OVEN ANTS. 

By S. N. Shouse. 

Text. — "But now hath he obtained a more excellent minis- 
try, by how much also he is the mediator of a better covenant, 
which was established upon better promises." — Heb. 8:6. 

" A better covenant," implies another that is 
inferior. "Better promises," implies other prom- 
ises, not so good, or not so important. When God 
called Abraham out of Ur of the Chaldees, in the 
seventy-lifth year of his age, he gave him two 
great promises which we find recorded in Gen. 
12: 2, 3. The first reads thusi "I will make of 
thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and 
make thy name great ; and thou shalt be a bless- 
ing ; and I will bless them that bless thee, and 
curse him that curseth thee." • Thus reads the sec- 
ond promise : ''In thee shall all families of the 
earth be blessed." 

" These two promises should be kept separate 
and distinct from each other. Abraham's fleshly 
descendants alone, are personally concerned in the 
first promise — all the families and nations of the 
earth, in the second. The blessings of the former 

60 



THE TWO COVENANTS. 61 

are earthly and temporal — those of the latter are 
spiritual and eternal." — Chrisiian System. 

We will notice these two promises, in the order 
in which they are given in the Bible. According 
to the first promise, God is to make of Abraham 
a great nation. In order to this end, it is neces- 
sary that he should have territory. Hence, the 
promise of the whole of the land of Canaan, which 
is recorded in the seventh verse of the same chap- 
ter, and which was tendered to him, sometime 
after he had entered the land of Canaan, and had 
passed through it. This promise, as well as the 
other one to which it is allied, is often repeated in 
the book of Genesis. Again, in order to make of 
Abraham a great nation, it was necessary that he 
should have a numerous posterity ; hence God 
promised to him an heir, and a seed as numerous 
as the " stars of Heaven" (Gen. 15 : 4, 5). These 
are the temporal and earthly promises, upon 
which the first covenant was established. 

In about two hundred and fifteen years after 
Abraham entered into the land of Canaan, his 
descendants, through the line of Isaac and Jacob, 
in consequence of a famine in that land, were 
providentially led down into Egypt where for a 
time they flourished, and rapidly increased in 
numbers and wealth. But Joseph, the one through 
whom they were so highly favored in that land, 
passed away ; and then things changed. '' There 
arose a new king over Egypt who knew not Jo- 



62 TEXAS PULPIT. 

sepli," (Ex. 1 : 8) and who was not well disposed 
toward the Israelites, and, beholding their rapid 
increase, he became alarmed, lest they should 
become mightier than his own people. He then 
conceived what he supposed to be a wise policy — 
that of reducing them to a state of vassalage. He 
therefore ordered " taskmasters to be set over them 
to afflict them with their burdens." Thus it was, 
that the descendants of Abraham became slaves 
in Egypt ; and their thralldom in that land became 
a type of the bondage of sin in this wicked world. 
Again their burdens were increased, and their op- 
pression became most grievous. But in their sore 
distress their cries and groans reached the ears of 
Israel's God, who remembering his covenant with 
Abraham, commissioned Moses, and sent him to 
emancipate them from their bondage. Thus Moses 
becomes a type of Christ — man's great Deliverer 
from the bondage of sin. In order to induce belief 
in those to whom Moses was sent, God gave him 
signs, to attest his authority to deliver them. 
These signs were also displayed before Pharaoh ; 
but Pharoah hardened his heart ; and stubbornly 
refused to permit the Israelites to go out of the 
land, and manifested greater tyrannv. Then God 
wi ought his mighty wonders in that land, the des- 
solation of which finally appalled even the obdu- 
rate heart of Pharaoh. He then commanded them 
to depart out of the land. The Passover was then 
slain according to God's direction — another type 



THE TWO COVENANTS. 63 

of our Savior. Paul says : " For even Christ our 
Passover is sacrificed for us." 1 Cor. 5 : 7. After 
the institution of the Passover, they commenced 
their journey, divinely guided. There was a pillar 
of cloud that went before them during the day, 
which became a pillar of fire at night. This, I 
understand to be typical of God's precious word, 
which guides the sinner on his return to God, and 
then onward toward the everlasting Canaan — the 
eternal home of the saints. The Israelites jour- 
ney on till they reach the shores of the Red Sea. 
Although Pharaoh had commanded them to de- 
part, his heart is again hardened. He changes his 
decision, and determines to pursue them with his 
army. Thus also is Satan loth to give up those 
who have been in his service, and no doubt pur- 
sues them when they turn into the way of the 
Lord, when he imagines any possibility of getting 
them back under his dominion. When the chil- 
dren of Israel beheld the army of Pharaoh, his 
chariots, and his horsemen, and the prospect be- 
fore them, they were stricken with fear. Moses 
said, " Stand still, and see the salvation of God." 
The Lord commanded Moses, "Lift thou up thy 
rod, and stretch out thy hand over the sea, and 
divide it ; and the children of Israel shall go on 
dry ground through the midst of the sea." Ex. 
14 : 1(5. Moses obeyed the divine command. The 
waters were divided; and a passage appeared 
through the midst of the sea. They can now see 



64 TEXAS PULPIT. 

their salvation, or way of escape. They are com- 
manded to go forward. The cloud now hovers 
over and about them, as they march. " And the 
waters were a wall unto them on their right hand 
and on their left." Ex. 14 : 29. Thus did the Is- 
raelites pass through the Ked Sea, from the land 
of bondage and oppression to a land of freedom 
and safety. This is another type. It adumbrates 
the baptism of the JS'ew Covenant. Paul impres- 
ses this truth upon the minds of his Corinthian 
brethren, with great emphasis. "Moreover, breth- 
ren, I would not that ye should be ignorant how 
that all our fathers were under the cloud and all 
passed through the sea ; and were all baptized 
unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea.'' 1 Cor. 
10 : 1, 2. Thus it is made evident that this bap- 
tism of the Israelites " unto Moses in the cloud 
and in the sea," was intended to represent bap- 
tism into Christ under the New Covenant. 

Now, the question arises, was this baptism of 
the Israelites necessary to their salvation from 
the Egyptian bondage ? The next verse after the 
account of their miraculous escape through the 
sea, ought to settle this question. "Thus the 
Lord saved Israel that day out of the hand of the 
Egyptians " (v. 30). '' Thus," how ? By " baptism 
in the cloud and in the sea." Let those who 
would undervalue Christian baptism take note of 
this. Had the Israelites refused to submit to that 
baptism, it would have been a refusal to accept 



THE TWO COVENAIS^TS. 65 

the salvation that God provided, and they would 
have remained in the land of bondage. But they 
obeyed the command, and on the other side of the 
sea, and consequently after the baptism, they 
sang the joyful song of their deliverance (Ex. 15). 
But it may be asked, " What has all this to do 
witl} the two Covenants?" All this has very 
much to do with the establishment of the first 
covenant. All the facts that I have hitherto men- 
tioned, as connected with the history of this peo- 
ple, and many others beside, were necessary to 
the development of God's purpose in fulfilling his 
promises to Abraham, that resulted in the estab- 
lishment of the first covenant. 

Without following this new-born nation into 
the wilderness of Shur, thence to Elim, and then 
into the wilderness of Sin, and noting all the im- 
portant facts in its history previous to the giving 
of the law, it will sufiice to notice what happened 
at Sinai. And it will be seen by what has been 
said, and by what is yet to follow, that everything, 
that in anywise appertained to the first covenant, 
had a prophetic or typical signification, and 
adumbrates something belonging to the New Cov- 
enant. As another illustration of this truth, I will 
pause here to notice one more fact which hap- 
pened before they reached Sinai: "The people 
complained for water and tempted God." Moses 
was commanded to go before them with the elders 
of Israel, and smite the rock in Horeb, and water 



66 TEXAS PULPIT. 

flowed forth out of it. The spring thus opened 
seems to have formed a brook, from which they 
drank during their whole sojourn near Sinai (Deut. 
9:21). Of this Paul says: ''And they did all 
drink of the same spiritual drink ; for they drank 
of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and 
that Rock was Christ." 1 Cor. 10 : 4. How beau- 
tifully did that rock, from which issued the stream 
of living water that slaked the thirst of the wan- 
dering Israelites, represent Christ, the source of 
the spiritual water of life ! 

We now come to the ever memorable Mount 
Sinai in Arabia. There we find Israel encamped 
before the Mount. "And Moses went up unto 
God, and the Lord called unto him out of the 
mountain, saying, 'Thus slialt thou say to the 
house of Jacob, and tell the children Israel; ye 
have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I 
bare you on eagles' wings and brought you unto 
myself. Now, therefore, if ye will obey my voice 
indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a 
peculiar treasure unto me above all people ; for all 
the earth is mine : and ye shall be unto me a 
kingdom of priests and a holy nation. These are 
the words which thou shalt speak unto the chil- 
dren of Israel.' And Moses came and called for 
the elders of Israel, and laid before them all these 
words which the Lord had commanded him. And 
all the people answered together and said, 'All 
that the Lord hath commanded we will do.' And 



THE TWO COVENANTS. 67 

Moses returned the words of the people unto the 
Lord." Ex. 17 : 3-8. Here we have a most solemn 
agreement in which God engages to bestow certain 
benefits upon this people, on the condition that 
they will obey his voice, and thus keep his cove- 
nant. On the other hand, the people pledge them- 
selves to render obedience to all God's require- 
ments. Next, there had to be a most solemn 
preparation to receive the words of the covenant. 
This occupied two days ; and on the morning of 
the third day, of the third month from their 
exodus, the people were sanctified, and ready for 
the awfully grand and sublime scene that burst 
upon their astonished vision. " There were thun- 
ders and lightnings and a thick cloud upon the 
mount ; and the voice of the trumpet exceeding 
loud, so that all the people that were in the camp 
trembled. And Moses brought forth the people 
out of the camp to meet with God ; and they stood 
at the nether part of the mount. And Mount 
Sinai was altogether on a smoke, because the 
Lord descended upon it in fire; and the smoke 
thereof ascended as the smoke of a furnace, and 
the whole mount quaked greatly." Ex. 19 : 16-18. 
Then it was, that in tones of thunder, the words of 
the first covenant were spoken from Mount Sinai. 
Of all this, the apostle speaks by way of contrast 
with the beginning of the New Covenant at Mount 
Zion (Heb. 12 : 19-23). 

This establishment of the first covenant, on 



68 TEXAS PCTLPIT. 

temporal and earthly promises made to Abraham, 
was just four hundred and thirty years after he 
received the first promise, and left his kindred 
and native land to become a sojourner in the land 
of Canaan. Next followed sundry laws for the 
administration and management of this new king- 
dom. But its citizens are not yet in the land 
promised. They must endure many painful and 
toilsome marches, and many fierce conflicts with 
wricked enemies, ere they reach that goodly land. 
So also must those who enter the New Covenant, 
" endure hardness as good soldiers," and " fight 
the good fight of faith," in order to " an abundant 
entrance," into the everlasting Canaan that God 
has promised. 

Again, in order to provide for their worship of 
him, the Lord by Moses gave them directions for 
rearing a tabernacle, and a pattern for all its fur- 
niture. '' Then verily the first covenant had also 
ordinances of divine service, and a worldly 
sanctuary. For there was a tabernacle made ; the 
first, wherein was the candlestick, and the table, 
and the shew-bread ; which is called the sanctu- 
ary " (Heb. 9:1,2). If we could follow the in- 
spired penman in his description of this taber- 
nacle, and its service, and his comments on the 
same, we should plainly see that everything that 
appertained to the tabernacle, was typical of the 
"more glorious" things of the New, and better 
Covenant. Indeed, one of the leading objects of 



THE TWO COVENANTS. 69 

the old Institution, was to furnish to the human 
mind pictures or types prophetic of the new and 
more spiritual worship of God, through our great 
High Priest and Mediator. Another leading ob- 
ject was, to keep the fleshly seed of Abraham 
separate and distinct from other peoples and 
nations, till the advent of the Messiah, the spir- 
itual seed of Abraham. So it appears that the 
first covenant existed solely for the second. The 
relation of the first covenant to the second seems 
to be the same as that of the husk to the ear of 
corn which it infolds and protects, till it is 
matured. When the ear of corn is perfected, the 
husk is no longer needed. The old Institution or 
covenant continued about fifteen hundred years, 
fulfilled its mission, and then we read, "He 
taketh away the first, that he may establish the 
second" (Heb. 10: 9). 

We now hasten to briefly notice the establish- 
ment of the second covenant, on the " better prom- 
ises." For the first promise, or germ of this cove- 
nant, we go back again to Gen. 12 : 3. " In thee 
shall all families of the earth be blessed." Paul 
calls this " the gospel unto Abraham." " The 
Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the 
heathen through faith, preached before (formerly) 
the gospel unto Abraham, saying, * In thee shall 
all nations be blessed ' " (Gal. 3 : 8). AYlien Abra- 
ham's faith was perfected by the ofl*ering of his 
only son, Isaac, who, in this offering, was a type 



70 TEXAS PULPIT. 

of God's only Son, the spiritual seed of Abraham, 
this promise was again repeated with a slight 
variation, and reads, " In thy seed shall all the 
nations of the earth be blessed " (Gen. 22 : 18). 
From Paul we learn what seed of Abraham is here 
meant. " Now, to Abraham and his seed were the 
promises made. He saith not, ' And to seeds, as 
of many ; but as of one,' ' And to thy seed,' which 
is Christ " (Gal. 3 : 16-29). Then the blessing to 
all nations, is to flow through Christ, the spiritual 
seed of Abraham. This great promise that co,n- 
cerns all nations through all time, and indeed 
through all eternity, is the germ of the New Cove- 
nant, which God promised through the prophet 
Jeremiah, about 606 years before the advent of 
the Messiah, the promised seed (see Jer. 31 : 
31-34). According to this prophecy, the New 
Covenant is not to be like the one he made with 
their fathers, when he " took them by the hand to 
bring" them out of Egypt." The main points of 
dissimilarity are the following : 1. "I will put 
my law in their inward parts, and write it in their 
hearts." 2. " They shall all know me, from the 
least of them to the greatest of them." 3. " I 
will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember 
their sin no more." This last is a very great dif- 
ference. Under the former covenant, " There was 
a remembrance again made of sins every year" 
(Heb. 10 : 3). Their sins were stayed off for only 
one year, when they were again remembered and 



THE TWO COVENANTS. 71 

expiated. But under this New Covenant, their 
remission is to be full and complete, so that past 
sins remitted are never again to be remembered. 
The next inquiry is in regard to the time of the 
fultillment of this prophecy. The quotation and 
application of it in the words following our text, 
shows that it had been fulfilled, but at what time, 
it does not decide. Again, we read, " For where a 
testament is, there must also of necessity be the 
death of the testator; for a testament is of force 
after men are dead, otherwise it is of no strength 
at all while the testator liveth *' (Heb. 9:16, 17). 
Instead of the word testament^ read covenaoit, as 
it is in the ISTew Version, and then it becomes evi- 
dent, that the death of Christ, the instituted sacri- 
lice, had to transpire before the " testament " or 
covenant, could become " of force." Again, we 
learn that the first covenant was ratified, and 
introduced with blood. " When Moses had spoken 
every precept to all the people according to the 
law, he took the blood of calves and of goats, 
with water, and scarlet wool, and hyssop, and 
sprinkled both the book and all the people, say- 
ing, ' This is the blood of the testament (covenant) 
which God hath enjoined unto you" (Heb. 9: 
19, 20). So also must the New Covenant be rati- 
fied and sealed, not with the '' blood of calves and 
of goats, but with the precious blood of Christ. 
The "heavenly things themselves" had to be 
dedicated with the blood of a sacrifice as much 



72 TEXAS PULPIT. 

greater than those of the former covenant, as 
heaven is higher than the earth. But in order to 
do this, Christ had to rise from the dead, and enter 
into the "true Holy Place, that is heaven itself." 
" For Christ is not entered into the holy places 
made with hands which are the figures of the true, 
but into heaven itself, now to appear in the pres- 
ence of God for us" (Heb. 9: 24). Thus he com- 
pleted his great work of human redemption — a 
grand demonstration of his love to a guilt stricken 
and ruined world. Guilty man may now obtain 
full remission of his sins. The Savior told his 
disciples after his resurrection (Luke 24: 47), 
" that repentance and remission of sins should be 
preached in his name among all nations, begin- 
ning at Jerusalem." Never before this, had re- 
pentance and remission of sins been preached in 
his name. The preaching of repentance and 
remission, in his name, must begin at Jerusalem. 
Then Jerusalem is the 'beginning 'place. Again he 
says, " Tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem until ye 
be endued with power from on high" (verse 49). 
This locates the time of the beginning of remis- 
sion in his name, on the day of Pentecost ; for it 
was then the Holy Spirit descended, and his apos- 
tles were " endued with power from on high." 
They spoke to the assembled multitude " as the 
Spirit gave them utterance." Their words carried 
conviction to their hearts. " They were pricked in 
their hearts." They exclaimed, " What shall we 



THE TWO COVENANTS. 73 

do ? " Then followed the proclamation of repent- 
ance and remission of sins in Ms name. " Repent 
and be baptized every one of you in the name of 
Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye 
shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit" (Acts 
2 : 38). We are informed that about three thou- 
sand responded by obedience to his authority, and 
thus they were assured of a full and complete 
pardon in his adorable name, and entered "the 
better covenant, established upon better prom- 
ises." Thus did begin the glorious day of the 
" Sun of Righteousness, who had arisen with heal- 
ing in his beams." 



SERMON yi. 

CHANGE OF LAW AND PRIESTHOOD, 

By Alonzo L. D' Spain. 

Text. — "For the priesthood being changed, there is made of 
necessity a change also of the law." Heb. 7 : 12. 

God, in all ages, lias perfectly adapted his laws 
to the needs, conditions and circumstances of man- 
kind. Therefore, it was necessary that there be 
many changes of law, to suit the changed condi- 
tion of man at different times. A moment's reflec- 
tion will show any candid, thoughtful reader, that 
it would be impossible for any one person or na- 
tion in any age of the world, to keep all of God's 
commands; and if the salvation of the race de- 
pended on so doing, all would be lost. Take, for 
example, the command of God to Noah to build 
an ark, or the command to Abraham to offer Isaac 
as a burnt offering. Could either of these be 
obeyed now, or at any other time save when they 
were given, or by any other persons than those 
addressed ? Surely not. But why not these com- 
mands apply in all ages and to all people ? For 
the very good reason that no other circumstances 
could justify the giving of such commands. Many 

74 



CHANGE OF LAW. 75 

snch examples can be given, but these will suffice. 
^'Fear God, and keep his commandments, for this 
is the whole duty of man." Eccls. 12: 13. Man, in 
this passage, is evidently used in its most compre- 
hensive sense, and includes the whole race of 
mankind. All are required to "Fear God and 
keep his commandments," regardless of time, 
place, or circumstances. But how shall we recon- 
cile this, with the fact stated above, viz., that no 
one person can keep the commands — that is, all of 
them. We answer, that the only way to do this 
is to "rightly divide the word of truth." Without 
this right division, the Bible is all a mystery, a 
something, though it must be obeyed, yet cannot 
be understood. What would we think of a father 
who would say to his child. You must go to work, 
and in ten days you must, without assistance, 
make a perfect steam engine ; if you do not, I will 
send you to the State prison for life," while the 
father knew his child could not possibly comply 
with the demand. We can hardly conceive of such 
a father. And yet there are many persons who 
thus accuse the God of heaven, who say the Bible 
is all a mystery — that it cannot be understood, 
and yet admit that we will be punished if we do 
not obey it. 

In order to more easily comprehend this subject, 
we will examine the Bible under three grand di- 
visions, 1st The Patriarchal. 2d. The Jewish. 
3d. The Christian Scriptures. We will notice each 



76 TEXAS PULPIT. 

with reference to the language of Solomon : "Fear 
God and keep his commandments," etc. That we 
may the more easily make the application, we will 
lay down the following propositions: 1st. Com- 
mands or laws are to be obeyed after they are 
given or enacted, not before. With the command 
comes the obligation to obey on the part of the 
person addressed. And a failure to comply with 
such law, justly subjects the oifender to the pen- 
alty. When Adam and Eve were placed in the 
garden of Eden, they had a right to eat of all the 
fruits of the garden. To have eaten then of the 
fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, 
would have been no sin, until God forbade them. 
After this they did eat, and " sin entered into the 
world, and death by sin." Rom. 5 : 12. Kind 
reader, do you suffer in this life ? Have you been 
called upon to give up some loved one to the cold 
embrace of death ? 

Then remember that disobedience to God's 
positive law brought these afflictions into this 
world, and eternity can only reveal to us how 
much of suffering and anguish have been and will 
be the result. With the command to Noah came 
the obligation to build the ark. Let us suppose 
him to have reasoned, as some men do to-day, 
thus : "An ark of that size will not hold all the 
animals, birds, etc., that are to go into it. And I 
don't like the jplaii of building, anyway. I have a 
plan of my own which I think is so much better 



CHANGE OF LAW. 77 

suited for the purpose ; but the fact is, I see no 
use in building the thing at all, for works cannot 
save anyone ; faith alone saves, and I have faith, 
and if the Lord is going to save me he can do so 
without my building the ark." We say, suppose 
he had reasoned thus, would he have been saved? 
Certainly not. And why not? To "fear God and 
keep his commandments" was his duty, and a 
failure on his part would have consigned him to 
death with the balance of the antediluvian world. 
"When Abraham was called on to offer Isaac as a 
burnt offering, he did not hesitate, murmur, com- 
plain, nor ask a reason why he should make such 
a terrible sacrifice. Neither did he claim credit 
for what he had done. He did his duty, and for 
so doing, is called the father of the faithful. And 
again, God said to him, when he had tried him, 
"And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth 
be blessed, because tlioic hast obeyed my rioice.''^ 
Gen. 22 : 18. When God commanded Moses to 
sprinkle the blood on the doors of the Israelites, 
or have it done, water, milk, honey, nor any other 
substance, could take the place of the blood. 
Nor would the blood of any other animal, save a 
lamb of the sheep or goats, have answered the pur- 
pose. Why not? Because God expressly com- 
manded that it should be the blood of a lamb, etc. 
(Ex. 12 : 5-7.) Let us ask here. Were Noah and his 
family saved by sprinkling blood on their doors, 
or were the antediluvians lost because they did 



78 TEXAS PULPIT. 

not do so ? Certainly not. Then why not ? For 
the very good reason that they were never com- 
manded to do so, hence, were under no obligations 
to obey commands before they were given. All 
the Scriptures prior to the giving of the law of 
Moses belong properly to the patriarchal age, 
where we find the first order of priesthood, where 
the head of the family, or patriarch, was priest 
and law-giver who stood as mediator between God 
and his family, whose duty it was to officiate at 
the altar. See Gen. 8 : 20 ; 12 : 7, 8 ; 13 : 18. Un- 
der such a priesthood, the laws that obtained must 
of necessity be of a local character, and could not 
be of general application. Many of the laws were 
but the result of the circumstances under which 
the persons were placed, and consequently could 
have no weight in any other age of the world, or un- 
der any other circumstances ; hence, we see that in 
the ages succeeding this one, people could not be 
required to obey the commands of this age. This, 
we trust, will be fully shown as we advance. 
With the giving of the law at Sinai, a new era 
dawns upon the world. A new order of things, 
with a new and changed priesthood — changed 
from the patriarchal, or family, to a national, and 
where only the members of one tribe could be 
priests for all, with but one Taw-giver for the whole 
nation. With such a change in the priesthood, 
" there is made, of necessity, a change also of the 



CHANGE OP LAW. 79 

law." We may then expect to find the laws as 
different as the priesthoods of the two ages. 

A middle wall of partition is now erected be- 
tween this nation (Israel) and all other nations. 
It is said in this law, " Cursed is every one that 
coijtinueth not in all things that are written in the 
book of the law to do them." Gal. 3: 10; Deut. 
27 : 26. Are Adam, Seth, ]N"oah, Abraham, and 
all those ancient worthies lost, or cursed, because 
they did not keep " all things that are written in 
the law " of Moses ? Surely not ; for laws are to 
be obeyed after they are given. As the law could 
not be enforced before it existed, and as it did not 
exist until the priesthood was changed, it must 
then apply to, and the curse for disobedience rest 
on, some particular persons, and in some definite 
age. Let us find to whom the law did apply. 
^' Now we know that what things soever the law 
saith, it saith to them that are under the law." 
Rom. 3 : 19. Who, then, are under the law ? 
"They that are born in Abraham's house, or 
bought with Abraham's money." So we see that 
the Gentiles were not included, and no one before 
the law was given, and Paul's declaration that, 
" Ye are not under the law, but under grace," 
shows, conclusively that those in this, the Chris- 
tian age, were not included. We find, then, that 
the priesthood of Levi and the law of Moses were 
peculiar to the Jews, and consequently could ob- 
tain in no other age. Also, that the law was 



80 TEXAS PULPIT 

imperfect — could not give life — "could not make 
him that did the service perfect as pertaining to 
the conscience." Was carnal, and but the " sha- 
dow of good things to come " — all pointing for- 
ward to something better. We do not see how 
any one could claim or desire to be under the law 
now. While the law of Moses was in force, we 
find that there were prophets chosen — "holy men 
of God" — through whom God spoke to individ- 
uals and to the nation, at different times, giving 
additional commands, suited to the various needs 
and circumstances of the people. As the law was 
imperfect, and was not of general application, it 
was necessary that it should be often supplemented 
with other laws which were equally as binding as 
the original. Let us notice one or two of this kind. 
Take first the case of Achan, Josh. 6 : 18, who with 
all Israel, was forbidden to take of the" accursed 
thing " in Jericho. See the result of his disobedi- 
ence (7 : 22-26), not only himself, but his innocent 
children and all he had, must suffer for his crime. 
Our wrong-doing may cause others to suffer, let us 
then be very careful how we live. King Saul was 
told by the prophet Samuel to slay the Amalekites, 
man and beast." I Sam'l. 15 : 13. He disobeyed 
God, and tried, like many to-day, to shift the sin 
to the shoulders of some one else, saying, "But 
the people took of the spoil, sheep and oxen . . 
to sacrifice to God in Gilgal," I Saml. 15: 21, 22. 
Samuel says to him, " To obey is better than sac- 



k 



CHANGE OF LAW. 81 

rifice." By his disobedience, Saul lost Ms throne. 
Although he may have kept all the law of Moses 
to the letter, his failure to obey this command 
brought upon him the penalty, and caused God to 
" reject him from being king." How important it is 
to obey God's commands, without changing them 
to suit our notions or convenience. 

When the seventy weeks of Daniel's prophecy 
are about completed, we hear " The voice of one 
€rying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of 
the Lord," etc. John did baptize in the wilder- 
ness, and preach the baptism of repentance for the 
remission of sins." Mark 1 : 3, 4. Here we find 
something very different from the Jewish or patri- 
archal law, differing from any other command ever 
given to man. None can deny that John preached 
by divine authority without denying the Bible. 
And yet there were some then who would pre- 
sume to deny the necessity of, and refuse obedi- 
ence to, the command given by John, but " they 
rejected the counsel of God against themselves, 
not being baptized with John's baptism." " While 
John was baptizing at Bethany beyond Jordan," 
Jesus came and demanded baptism of him ; up to 
this time no one knew or believed Jesus of Naza- 
reth to be the Son of God. Of all the mighty 
hosts who had lived on earth previous to this 
time, none believed this grand truth, not even 
John. Some one will ask, if John did not 

then believe him to be the Son of God, why did 
6 



82 TEXAS PULPIT. 

he forbid Ms baptism and say, "I have need 
to be baptized of thee ? " We answer, John was 
personally acquainted with Jesus, they being 
second cousins, he knew Jesus to be a just and 
holy man, and esteemed himself unworthy, hence 
his reply. That John did not know him as the 
Savior, is evident from his own language, " I Tcnew 
Jiim not^ but he that sent me to baptize said also. 
Upon whom you see the Spirit descending, and 
remaining on him, the same shall baptize with 
the Holy Ghost." John 1 : 33. John could not 
believe without evidence, and the evidence was 
not given until after Jesus was baptized, and came 
up out of the water. Then, for the first time, did 
God proclaim Jesus as his Son, and of course no 
one believed it before. There are two cases we 
wish to call attention to during the personal min- 
istry of Jesus on earth ; the first is the young man 
who said to Jesus, " Good master, what good thing 
shall I do to inherit eternal life," the second is 
the thief on the cross. The latter is often referred ta 
as a model case of salvation, the former never is ;. 
neither of them can be models for us, as we will 
show further on. Both the above named persons 
lived and died under the law of Moses, and conse- 
quently subject to that law, or any other special 
law given by divine authority. If either of these is 
to be taken as a model of conversion, it would cer- 
tainly be the case of the ruler, Luke 19 : 18, who 
asked "what good thing he could do to inherit 



CHAIN^GE OF LAW. 83 

eternal life ; he also declared that he had kept the 
commandments from his youth up." In order then 
to be perfect, he was required to sell all he had, 
and give to the poor, and take up his cross and 
follow Jesus. He was taught lessons of devotion 
obedience and self-denial throughout, while the 
thief was dying on the cross as a law-breaker. 
Will the language of the text justify the conclu- 
sion that the thief was saved? If, so what is 
gained by it? Nothing whatever. Why not? 
1st. We are required to believe something the 
thief could not believe. 2d. We are required to 
do something the thief could not do. 

Mary Magdalene was the first to see Christ after 
his resurrection, the first to carry the glad tidings 
to the chosen disciples (Jno. 20 : 18). Jesus then 
began to show himself to his disciples, going in 
and out among them for 40 days, "speaking to 
them of the things pertaining to the kingdom of 
God" (Acts 1: 3). Preparing them for the work 
for which he had selected them before hand. Just 
before " he was taken up," he gave the commission. 
See Mat. 28 ; 19, 20 ; Mark 16 : 15, 16 ; Luke 24 : 
46, 47. Here, for the first time, the new law of 
pardon was announced, and "which at the first be- 
gan to be spoken by the Lord" (Heb. 2 : 3), was 
afterwards " confirmed unto us by them that heard 
him." This commission differs from any other 
ever given to man. The first commission given by 
Jesus before his death was confined to the " lost 



84 TEXAS PULPIT. 

sheep of the house of Israel." The commission as 
given by Mark, "He that believeth and is bap- 
tized shall be saved," and " he that believeth not 
shall be damned," could not obtain in any other 
age of the world, could not have been before the 
death of our Savior, hence, did not and could not 
apply to the thief on the cross. Jesus told his 
apostles to " Go into all the world and preach the 
gospel to every creature." Paul declares the facts 
of the gospel to be the " Death, burial and resur- 
rection of Jesus Christ" (I. Cor. 15: 2-5). The 
facts of the gospel could not be preached until 
they occurred, ^o man could believe that Jesus 
had died, until after his death ; hence, the thief on 
the cross did Qiot^ and could not believe tlie gospel. 
Yet, if we do not believe it, we will be lost; we can 
then see at once that if the thief was saved, he 
was not saved by believing and obeying the gos- 
pel, as we must be. " Them that . . . obey 
not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, shall be 
punished with everlasting destruction from the 
presence of the Lord, and the glory of his power " 
(II. Thess, 1 : 8, 9). Some persons have concluded 
that people in all ages are to be judged by the gos- 
pel, and therefore tell us that the gospel was 
preached from the beginning, and confidently 
affirm that God's law has never changed. We 
have already noted one radical change, from the 
Patriarchal to the Jewish, and we are now on the 
eve of a greater, more thorough change than ever 



CHANGE OF LAW. 85 

before, a change from an imperfect to a perfect, 
from a weak to a strong, from a carnal to a spir- 
itual, from the letter which killeth, to the spirit 
which maketh alive, from a temporal, dying priest- 
hood, that is ever changing, to a never changing, 
undying, everlasting priesthood, from a law 
" that could not take aioay sin " to " the law of 
the spirit of life in Christ Jesus that makes me 
free from the law of sin and death." Ah ! what a 
glorious change, and how thankful we ought to be 
for the change. 

"Thus it is written, and thus it behooved the 
Christ to suffer and rise from the dead the third 
day. And that repentance and remission of sins 
should be preached in his name among all 
nations, beginning at Jerusalem." Luke 24 : 46. 
We learn from this that " the Christ must die and 
rise from the dead," before this could be preached. 
Repentance and remission of sins was never 
preached to the thief on the cross in the name of 
Jesus Christ, nor to anyone else previous to that 
time. So again we see that we cannot be saved 
like the thief ^ as there is something required of us 
that was not required of him. Up to the time 
that Jesus gave the last commission, nor until ten 
days afterward, was anyone under obligations to 
obey it, for commands are to be obeyed after they 
are given, not before. We learn from our text 
that the priesthood must be changed before there 
can be a change of the law. We must lind an- 



86 TEXAS PULPIT. 

other order of priesthood before we find a new law 
in force. Paul declares Jesus " made a priest for 
ever after the order of Melchisedec," and "not 
after the order of Aaron." Heb. 7 : 11-17. But 
when was Jesus made a priest? Some say that 
he was baptized into his priestly office by John 
the Baptist. This will not do, for Paul again 
says, "If he were on earth, he should not be a 
priest." Heb. 8 : 4. Two orders of priesthood, 
differing so materially, could not be in operation 
at the same time among the same people; and 
we know that Jesus himself was subject to tlie 
law of Moses and to the Aaronic priesthood while 
he lived, and he required the same of others. 
This needs no proof here. Again, Jesus could 
not have been a priest on earth, before his death, 
as he was not of the tribe of Levi, but of Judah, 
of which Moses wrote nothing concerning the 
priesthood (Heb. 7 : 14). Again, had he been made 
a priest during his temporal life, he would have 
lost it at death. But to show conclusively that 
Jesus was not a priest before his death, Paul says, 
"For the law maketh men high priests which 
have infirmity ; but the word of the oath, which 
toas since the law^ maketh the Son (a high priest), 
who is consecrated forevermore." As Jesus " abol- 
ished the law, and nailed it to the cross " (Col. 
2:14; Eph 2:14-16), and the oath that made 
him priest was after the law, it follows that Jesus 
was not a priest before his death. Then, of 



CHANGE OF LAW. 87 

course, the law was not changed before he was 
made a priest. After giving the last commission, 
Jesus told his disciples to "tarry at Jerusalem 
until they were endued with power from on high." 
Although they were chosen and commissioned to 
carry this glorious gospel to all the world, yet 
they were told to wait. They could not preach 
the gospel even then. The law was not yet 
changed, though the old law had been nailed to 
the cross, the new law had not yet been given. 
But Christ, having been made a priest forever "after 
the power of an endless life," in other words, " the 
priesthood being changed," we of course look now 
for " a change also of the law." Ten days after 
the ascension of Jesus, the Holy Spirit was sent 
from heaven by the Lord, as he had promised his 
apostles, and began to speak through them, telling 
something of the wonderful events that had trans- 
pired in heaven since Jesus left the earth, an- 
nouncing to the assembled multitude, "that God 
hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have cruci- 
fied, both Lord and Christ." Acts 2 : 36. When 
the multitude heard this, they were pricked in 
their hearts and cried out, " Men and brethren, 
what shall we do?" Acts 2 : 37. Then Peter 
answered, "Repent and be baptized, every one of 
you, in the name of Jesus Christ, for the remis- 
sion of sins, and you shall receive the gift of the 
Holy Ghost." Acts 2 : 38. Here, for the first time 



88 TEXAS PULPIT. 

in the world, were people commanded to repent 
and be baptized in the name of Christ. 

We have now shown the application of the laws 
of the Bible to the different persons and nations 
in the different ages of the world. And now, 
though we have given but an outline of the sub- 
ject, we trust that it may lead some inquiring per- 
sons to a better understanding of God's holy word, 
and be the means of bringing precious souls to 
Christ. May our heavenly Father grant that the 
time may speedily come when all those who pro- 
fess to follow Christ will speak the same things, 
"rightly dividing the word of truth ; " and that we 
may go forth conquering the enemies of the cross, 
with the sword of the Spirit, the word of God. 



SERMON yn. 

THE TEMPLE. 

By J. J. LOCKHART. 

The study of the Temple and its service is one 
of the most interesting studies in the Word of 
God. Its typical relation to the diviner substance, 
Christianity, is clearly made known by the Holy 
Spirit. It was the most wonderful, as well as the 
most beautiful, structure of ancient or modern 
times, and was built according to the directions 
and model given by God himself to David, the sec- 
ond king of Israel, who enjoyed the reputation of 
being a man after God's own heart, in that he 
obeyed implicitly without asking a reason; col- 
lected much of the material ; but on account of his 
being a warrior, ha^-ing shed his fellowman's 
blood, was not permitted to build the Temple. God 
demanded one whose hands were not stained with 
blood to build his house. But unto David a son 
was promised, who should have that honor, and 
when he was born, God sent his prophet Nathan 
to name the child, and he called him Solomon, 
which means peace ; and during the forty years of 

89 



90 TEXAS PULPIT. 

Solomon's reign not one war stains the Hebrew 
Chronicles. 

Solomon ascended the throne of Israel at the 
age of 19 years. Upon his ascension God prom- 
ised that he would give him whatever he desired, 
and he prayed for wisdom that he miglit govern 
the people, and God said. Because you have not 
asked long life, nor riches, nor the lives of thy 
enemies, but have asked for understanding to dis- 
cern judgment ; beliold, I have done according to 
thy word, and lo, I have given thee a wise and an 
understanding heart, so that there was none like 
before thee, neither shall any rise like unto thee. 
He wrote parables upon everything from the hys- 
sop by the wall to the tall cedar of Lebanon, and 
man, with all the advancements of civilization, has 
not gone beyond the wisdom of his proverbs. In 
the fourth year of his reign he began the building 
of that remarkable structure known as the temple, 
and completed it in the eleventh. During these 
seven years it did not rain in day time. The 
building with its courts occupied 31 acres of 
ground, and from the lower base to the pinnacle 
was 700 feet. It was built of white Parian marble 
and covered with a dome of silver, which reflected 
the rays of the morning sun presenting a picture 
of unsurpassing beauty and loveliness. In the 
construction of this building, Solomon employed 
70,000 entered apprentices, 80,000 fellowcrafts, 
30,000 Israelites who worked in the quarries, and 



THE TEMPLE. 91 

over these were 3,300 masters, and over these were 
the three grand masters, Hiram king of Tyre, Hi- 
ram Abiff (or the widow's son) and Solomon. 
Many of the stones which composed the building 
were 70 feet long, 10 feet wide, and 8 feet thick. It 
has long been a problem how stones of such pon- 
derous dimensions and weight were placed in posi- 
tion , as the ancients were entirely ignorant of our 
means for lifting heavy bodies ; but a solution has 
been given by that celebrated missionary, Dr. 
Barclay, Avho visited Palestine some years since. 
While there, and on one of his evening strolls, his 
dog chased a hare into an aperture ; following 
the instinct of his curiosity, the doctor examined 
the place. He found it to be an excavation. The 
Turks who have control of the city of Jerusalem 
and environments are extremely jealous and ob- 
serve every move with great vigilance. He there- 
fore abandoned the exploration till nightfall, hav- 
ing procured a ladder, flambaeu and other material 
necessary for the work, he proceeded to search 
what lay concealed in this opening. To his great 
surprise, he found it to be an old marble quarry. 
There were the lamp marks on the sides and an 
unfinished stone of huge dimensions lay before 
him. Taking the altitude of his position, he ob- 
served that it was the same as the height of the 
temple. He then conceived the reasonable hy- 
pothesis of placing these stones in position by 
means of an inclined plane, which was familiar to 



92 TEXAS PdLPIT. 

the ancients, and this perhaps is the reason these 
stones were sometimes called "rolling stones." 
Every stone was prepared before being placed in 
the building. The apostle Peter makes reference 
to these stones in his first epistle, 2d. chapter and 
5th verse, where he says, "Ye also, as lively stones, 
are built up a spiritual house." Every one must 
be prepared before entering that spiritual temple, 
the heart must be purified, and faith is the means 
to that end. Acts 15: 9. The life must be correc- 
ted and repentance does that work, now the man 
is ready for that step which places him into Christ, 
and baptism is that act (I. Cor. 12 : 13); but some 
builders reverse the order, placing baptism first 
(infant baptism), and then preparing the heart and 
life afterwards. Let us take warning from the 
words of Paul, "According to the grace of God 
which is given unto me, as a wise master-builder, 
I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth 
thereon ; but let every man take heed how he 
buildeth thereupon." (I. Cor. 3 : 10). 

Around the temple stood a wall four feet high, 
called the "middle wall of partition." Three 
steps led over this wall, indicative of youth, of 
manhood and of age ; and upon this wall was 
placed an inscription, written in GJ-reek, Latin, and 
Hebrew, forbidding any Gentile to pass over, on 
penalty of death. Paul alludes to this wall, in 
his letter to the church at Ephesus (2: 14, 15): 
" For he is our peace, who hath made both one, 



THE TEMPLE. 93 

and hath broken down the middle wall of parti- 
tion between us, having abolished in his flesh the 
enmity, even the law of commandments contained 
in ordinances ; for to make in himself one neAV man, 
so making peace." The day for special privileges 
has passed. " For there is now no difference be- 
tween the Jew and the Gentile, for the same Lord 
over all is rich unto all that call upon him " (Rom. 
10: 12). The Master, in giving the commission, 
said, " Go, make disciples of all nations " (Matt. 
28: 19). At the house of Cornelius, Peter said, 
'' Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of 
persons, but in every nation he that feareth him 
and worketh righteousness is accepted with 
him." 

The temple opened eastward, receiving the 
first rays of light into its chambers. From the 
east comes our light, physical, political, mental, 
and religious. The birth place of Christianity 
was in the land of the Orient, and " westward the 
star of empire takes its course." The worshiper 
proceeding westward came to a gate called " Beau- 
tiful." It took twenty men to open and close it ; 
passing through the gate, he proceeded through 
several courts until he came to one called ''The 
Court." Before him stood the great brazen altar. 
It was 20 cubits long, 20 cubits wide and 10 cubits 
high. On this, the sacrifice was placed and con- 
sumed. The worshiper approaching, laid his 
hands on the sacrifice in token of his faith in the 



94 TEXAS PULPIT. 

efficacy of the offering, and tlie blood of the 
victim was placed on the tip of his right ear, on 
the thumb of his right hand, and on the great toe 
of his right foot, indicating that his ears should 
ever be open to what God had to say to him ; that 
his hands should ever be ready to do what was 
commanded, and that his feet should always be 
ready to go where G-od directed. In the person of 
our Savior we have both the altar and sacrifice. 
He sacrificed his humanity upon the altar of his 
Divinity ; and we come to that altar, and lay hold 
of that sacrifice not with our hands, but with our 
hearts ; grasping not with fingers, but with faith 
(Acts 8: 37). 

The worshiper then proceeded to the great 
brazen laver, which stood directly between the 
altar and the door of the sanctuary ; here he was 
required to bathe his whole body ; he tlien put on 
clean white garments, indicative of purity. The 
bath in the laver was a type of Christian baptism. 
To this Paul alludes in his letter to Titus 3:5: 
"Not by works of righteousness which we have 
done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by 
the washing (or bath) of regeneration, and renew- 
ing of the Holy Spirit." Also, in Hebrews 10 : 22 : 
"Let us draw near, with true heart, in full assur- 
ance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an 
evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure 
water." One thought to our religious neighbors : 
If pardon is obtained before baptism, then the 



THE TEMPLE. 95 

clean white garments, indicative of the forgive- 
ness of sins, should have been received at the 
altar ; but observe, the j were not received till after 
he had bathed in the laver. 

The worshiper then proceeded, and the beautiful 
folding doors opened at his approach, and he en- 
tered the sanctuary, which was a type of the 
Church of Christ (Heb. 9 : 1, 10). Beneath was 
the Mosaic pavement, denoting the checkered 
scenes of life ; above was a canopy, studded with 
seven stars, indicating that God's eyes are always 
on his people ; around the ceiling ran a border of 
fruits and flowers, signifying that Grod withholds 
no good thing from his people. The room was 
fifty cubits long, twenty cubits wide and twenty 
cubits high. It had three pieces of furniture. 
The number three seems to be a sacred number. 
Three persons in the Godhead — the Father, the 
Son, and the Holy Spirit ; three dispensations in 
the unfolding of the scheme of redemption — the 
patriarchal, Jewish, and the Christian; three 
lights in the universe — starlight, moonlight, and 
sunlight ; three eras in man's life — youth, man- 
hood, and age ; three states in man's existence — 
the present life, the intermediate between death 
and the resurrection, and the state after the resur- 
rection ; three things took man from Eden — hear- 
ing a lie, believing a lie, and obeying a lie ; three 
things restore him to the favor of God — hearing 
the truth, believing the truth, and obeying the 



96 TEXAS PULPIT. 

truth ; three steps to make a man a Christian — 
faith, repentance, and baptism. 

On the south side of the sanctuary stood the 
golden candlestick, with seven branches. The 
number 7 also seems to have a definite significance. 
There are seven stars in the Pleiades ; seven 
wise men of Greece ; seven wonders of the world ; 
seven days in a week ; seven churches in Asia ; 
seven spirits of God ; seven steps to take, after 
coming into Christ : add to your faith, virtue, 
knowledge, temperance, patience, godliness, broth- 
erly kindness and love ; and there are just seven 
divisions of the word of God, which the seven 
branches of the candlestick typified ; the law, the 
prophets, and the psalms ; the histories of Christ, 
or the testimony of the evangelists ; Acts of the 
Apostles, epistolary writings, and the Apocalypse. 
There are 66 books in the Bible; 39 in the Old 
Testament, and 27 in the New. Of the 39 books, 
17 are historical, 17 prophetic, and five devotional. 
Of the l^ew Testament, four are biographical, one 
historical, 21 didactic, and one prophetic. Of the 
biographies, Matthew wrote his to the Hebrews, 
and he held the Messiahship prominently before 
them. They desired a deliverer, a Savior who 
could free them from bondage, and Jesus was that 
Savior. Mark wrote to the Romans. Their idea 
was royalty, kingly power ; hence Jesus is held out 
to them as a king, and his coronation assured in 
the last verse of Mark's testimony. Luke wrote 



THE TEMPLE. 97 

to the Crrecians. Their ideal was perfect manhood, 
hence, Christ's humanity in its perfection is 
hrought before them. John wrote his testimony 
to the Asiatics, and their ideal was devotion, ador- 
ation; hence, he placed before them the Divine 
nature of our blessed Savior. In these four testi- 
monies we have the perfection of the Master ex- 
hibited, his messiahship, his kingly power, his 
perfect humanity, and divinity. The book known 
as Acts of Apostles is catholic. Of the epistolary 
writings, nine were written to the Gentile 
churches ; six to the Hebrews, and six to individ- 
uals. The Book of Revelation is also universal. 
In this grand old book, the Bible, we have the 
light to guide us, all things necessary to life and 
godliness. And, as the sanctuary had no light 
save that which was emitted from the candlestick, 
so should the true sanctuary, the church of 
Christ, have no other than that which eminates 
from the word of Grod. But let us have all the 
nobs burning, not take one part of the Bible to 
the exclusion of the others. 

On the north side of the sanctuary stood the 
table of shewbread. It was made of acacia wood, 
overlaid with pure gold, two cubits was the length 
of it, one cubit the width, and one and a half 
cubits the height. Around it was a crown of gold. 
On this table was placed twelve loaves, one for 
each of the tribes of Israel, signifying that God 
was present with his people, hence, called " Pres- 

7 



98 ' TEXAS PULPIT. 

ence bread." The number twelve seems also to 
have been sacredly applied. We read of the 
twelve sons of Jacob, the twelve tribes of Israel, 
twelve signs of the Zodiac, twelve months of the 
year, twelve apostles of Christ, twelve thrones,, 
twelve foundations of the New Jerusalem, and 
twelve gates of pearl of that glorious city. But 
we have only one loaf, as we have but one hodi/j 
the church. Christ is not divided. He said, " Go 
make disciples of all nations, baptizing them into 
the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of 
the Holy Spirit." At one time, God permitted the 
Romans to have their religion ; the Grecians, 
theirs ; the Persians, theirs ; the Egyptians, theirs, 
and gave the Hebrews, theirs ; but he no longer 
winks at this ignorance, but now commands all 
men everywhere to repent (Acts 17 : 30). His 
people should be one. 

At the west end of the sanctuary, and near the 
veil, stood the golden altar. It was two cubits 
high, a cubit long, and a cubit wide. It was made 
of acacia wood, overlaid with pure gold, had 
horns at each of its four corners, and a crown of 
gold encircled it. On this the morning and even- 
ing incense was burned, which typified the prayers 
of the saints (Rev. 5: 8). But some would take 
this altar from its position in the sanctuary, and 
place it out in the court, near the great brazen 
altar. God placed it in the sanctuary, and near 
the veil. Perhaps the last thing we will do in this 



THE TEMPLE. 99 

life will be to commend our souls to our Savior. 

" Prayer is the Christian's vital breath, 
The Christian's native air. 
His watch-word at the gate of death; 
He enters heaven by prayer." 

The worshiper passes through the veil, which 
represents death, and he stands in the Holy of 
Holies. This apartment is a perfect cube, 20 cu- 
bits an every side. No Mosaic pavement is now 
beneath, nor stars above ; but the room is covered 
with solid gold, cherubic figures are flying in 
every direction. Two cherubim stood in the cen- 
ter of the room — one whose wing touches the north' 
side, and the other whose wing is against the 
south, their two inner wings meeting in the center 
of the room. Beneath these wings was placed the 
Ark of the Covenant. It was a small chest, or 
box, two cubits long, and one and a half cubits 
wide, and one and a half cubits deep. Over this 
was placed a lid encircled with a crown of gold, 
and the Ark was covered with pure gold, within 
and without. The tables of stone upon which God 
wrote the Ten Commandments were placed in the 
ark ; on either end of the ark stood cherubims, with 
their faces turned inward and downwards, their 
wings meeting above. Between the angels was the 
shechinah, or the visible presence of God, a light 
that God bestowed on the ark at its dedication. 
We find no candlestick here, no window, no light 
save the presence of God. This was a type of 



100 * TEXAS PULPIT. 

heaven ; and it shows us the purity of that abode, 
the angelic hosts which surround the throne of 
God, and the ineffable glory of Jehovah's presence. 
iSTo sun, no moon, no stars, but the throne of God 
and the Lamb is the sun which shines with the 
splendor of the everlasting day. This is the home 
of the pure. This is the mansion prepared for 
those who serve the Christ of God. 

Gentle reader, you have followed us to the Holy 
of Holies. Let us now retrace our steps. No one 
was permitted to enter the Holy of Holies who had 
not passed through the sanctuary. And this an- 
swers the oft asked question, can't a man go to 
heaven without being a member of the church? 
]S"o one was permitted to enter the sanctuary who 
had not on the clean white garments ; no one pos- 
sessed those garments who had not bathed in the 
laver ; no one was permitted to bathe in the laver 
who had not been to the altar. In this God has 
given us a picture of the scheme of redemption, 
and it is so plain that the way-faring man need 
not err therein. 

Let us take one more view of this wonderful 
structure before leaving it. The first thing we 
came to was a wall. This is infidelity ; that 
passed, we came to a gate. That is our skepticism, 
that conquered, we go to the altar, then the laver. 
Then we come to the doors, which open at our 
approach ; then we come to the veil, only a thin 
partition between us and heaven. 



SERMON VIII. 

CHRIST US' PROPHECY. 

By T. W. Caskey. 

Text. — "Of which salvation the prophets have inquired, and 
searched diligently." — I. Peter 1:10. 

In looking at this wonderful personage from the 
prophetic standpoint, the first question of impor- 
tance to be settled is, whether these men spoke as 
moved by the Holy Ghost, or are their utterances, 
as infidelity claims, but the utterance cf their own 
uninspired thoughts ? If by the Holy Spirit, then, 
of course, they are miraculous. Some uniform 
law in abeyance was held when they put forth 
these declarations, which the Bible calls proph- 
ecies. If not inspired, they are still equally mirac- 
ulous. The proof of this is found in the character 
of the things said by tliem concerning Christ: 
Found in the number, variety and diversity of 
statements — more particularly in the fact that no 
prophetic mind, when thinking of Christ, ever lin- 
gered along the medium plane of thought. The 
uniform law of mind is, that we advance step by 
step, embracing in our mental processes all the 
intermediate steps until we reach the extreme. 

101 



102 TEXAS PULPIT. 

This mental law was set aside by the prophets, 
and ai power above all law winged their thoughts 
from one extreme to the other. The visions of 
Christ that passed in panorama before them, the, 
metaphors used to present him to the world, all 
partake of this miraculous feature. And these 
extremes was what perplexed their mind so that 
they could not, and did not, understand their own 
prophecies; therefore did chey "search diligently" 
to find out what, or what manner of time, and 
what manner of person it was of whom they 
talked. But all was hid from them — and even 
from angels hid ; for we are told that they earn- 
estly desired to look into these things. It was not 
for them, but for us. The prophets were not 
making revelations for themselves, nor to them- 
selves. God placed in the hands of his prophets 
a telescope by which they penetrated the mist and 
fog that enveloped coming ages ; and glorious vis- 
ions of this mysterious person were unveiled to 
them. They try to tell us what they saw — won- 
ders which they did not understand, but which in 
part we do. 

These prophecies form the first link in the chain 
of divine evidence by which the Christ to human 
hearts is bound. To a few of them we now attend. 
The prophet directs his telescope upon an out- 
spreading forest, and amidst its great trees and 
waving shrubs he sees a couchant lion — the king 
of beasts of prey — at whose blood-curdling roar 



CHRIST I]N" PROPHECY. 103 

meaner beasts seek their dark hiding places. The 
prophet says, I see him now; he is the Lion of 
the tribe of Judah ! 

Not satisfied with this, he looks again, and in a 
different direction. Now on his vision rises a 
pasture green, and thereon a lamb — the most timid 
of all the animal creation; so timid that when 
first it bent its little head to slake its thirst from 
the running brook it was frightened at its own 
shadow, and on fleet foot fled away. The two ex- 
tremes are reached. No intermediate link in the 
animal chain is touched. Will the infidel permit 
me to ask him, Under what mental law were these 
minds acting ; what could have suggested to them 
the idea of presenting a person under two meta- 
phors so diverse? Can anything resembling this 
be found in all the past or present in the flights 
of fancy, or wild conceits of imagination run mad? 
The prophet next points his telescope to the starry 
heavens, and two metaphors are suggested. I see 
him now. He is the Sun of Righteousness that 
rises over the moral darkness of the world with 
healing in his beams. Again he appears as a 
twinkling star, and the prophet exclaims, He is 
the star of Bethlehem — the bright and morning 
star that heralds the dawn of a day so brilliant it 
shall chase all night away from the land of shad- 
ows and of death. The extremes again are reached 
— from the sun to a star ! Then he looks to the 
vegetable kingdom. Here the coming one is the 



104 TEXAS PULPIT. 

blooming rose of Sharon, blushing in the beauty 
of God. And now, he is a root out of dry ground, 
without form or comeliness — ^no glory — nothing 
attractive in its appearance. Are you surprised 
that the prophet's mind was perplexed over these 
strange visions, and that he did earnestly inquire 
what they meant? He gazed upon his counte- 
nance, scarred and marred. There is no form nor 
comeliness in him that we should desire him ; his 
visage is more marred than the visage of any 
other man. Such was his repulsive appearance 
that the prophet seems to grow sick at heart, and 
turns away, for he says : " We hid, as it were, 
our faces from him ! " From this he looks out 
upon a vision of beauty such as eye had never 
seen before, and in joy he exclaims : " He is the 
fairest among ten thousand, and the one altogether 
lovely ! " The pass is from extreme to extreme ; 
from sickening deformity to beauty in astonishing 
perfection. Two other visions rise up before the 
prophet, and he thinks he understands it now, at 
least in part. ''Who is this that from Edom 
comes with garments dyed in blood ? that travels 
in the greatness of his strength? whose warrior 
tread bespeaks him victor on blood-stained fields?" 
While still gazing with trembling awe ujDon this 
hero in crimson-stained apparel, the vision disap- 
pears, and in its place there stands Tlie Prince of 
Peace ! 

He sees him when in his humiliation his judg- 



CHRIST IK PROPHECY. 105 

ment was taken away and there was none to de- 
clare his generation. For his life was cnt off from 
the earth. He sees him when in the form of a 
servant ; when he became obedient to the death of 
the Cross ; when, in the grave, he sleeps ; when he 
awakes, puts his hands on the pillars of death and 
hell, and they crumble beneath his touch. He 
sees him stand before God, when the sentence of 
Pilate's bar is reversed, amidst the acclamations 
of angel hosts! 

From the grave to glory the prophet follows him 
in all these changes and extremes. 

This same miraculous thread runs through the 
teachings of Christ and his apostles. The Savior 
says, " I am the bread of life." "I am the living 
water of which, if a man drink, he shall thirst no 
more ! " Both Christ and the prophets talk of him 
as the foundation stone — the chief corner-stone— 
the key-stone of the grand spiritual temple — the 
cap-stone that holds together the spanning arch- 
way — the stone by the builders rejected, but 
chosen of God, and dear to us. 

It was those extremes that were constantly 
mingling in Christ that perplexed the minds not 
only of prophets, but also of his disciples. During 
the years of his personal ministry, this kept them 
in constant doubt whether he was God or man. 
When the angry waves rolled high and the vessel 
plunged, like the wounded, maddened horse on the 
battle-field ; when his voice was heard command- 



106 TEXAS PULPIT. 

ing the winds and the troubled waves, Be still ! " 
then thej thought he was God ; but, when he hun- 
gered, and slept, and grew weary, they thought he 
was but a man. When, by the grave of the sleep- 
ing brother of Mary and Martha, he stood and 
wept, they thought him a man; but when in a 
loud voice he said to the dead, " Lazarus, come 
forth ! " and the dead obeyed his awful command, 
then they said, surely he is nothing less than God ! 
And thus their minds were tossed from divinity to 
humanity; and they were compelled to wait a 
time with patience until the proof of his Godhood 
grew stronger; until more light was given and 
their doubts were forever set at rest. 

But, to return to the prophecies ; I grant that 
many of them are seemingly unmeaning and no 
lessons teach us until we acquaint ourselves in 
some degree with the symbolism of the Bible. 
All symbols are unmeaning to the unins true ted. 
But to the initiated — the enlightened — they are 
full of meaning. They address themselves to the 
eye — one of the most important avenues to the 
mind. You enter, for instance, a Masoic lodge. 
The walls are covered with symbols. In the east 
the letter G is suspended, the all-seeing eye, the 
lamb, the square, the compass, the sprig of acacia. 
What is this to 3^ou, unless you are among the 
sons of light? And what impressions are made 
upon your mind ? Nothing taught, nothing under- 
stood? No emotions stirred, except, perhaps, a 



CHRIST I]^ PROPHECY. 107 

little curiosity — a little wonder, as you ask, what 
do all these signs and symbols mean ? To the ini- 
tiated there is by each an important lesson taught. 
Each symbol has a tongue of silent eloquence. 
God is the author of symbolism. Persons may be 
symbolized, so may places, and events. Indeed, 
its language is world-wide. In order to get you 
to appreciate and understand the importance of 
symbols, and to prepare our minds and hearts to 
receive the lessons taught in prophetic symbolism, 
I select the Lord's Supper: The bread and wine 
are symbols of a body broken and of flowing 
blood. They represent a person and an event. 
And God has so constituted our minds that we can 
not stop mental processes by an act of volition. 
When we think of one thing, we are compelled to 
think of another ; when we perform a certain act it 
gives birth to a certain thought, and that thought 
to an emotion. So we can not break the conse- 
crated loaf in memory of a broken body without 
thinking of Christ, whose body was broken ; and 
we cannot think of Christ's dying love for us, 
without an emotion of love for Christ. Thus by 
the simple act of breaking bread, the whole men- 
tal and moral natures of man are set in motion. 
Christ is enshrined in the living hearts of all who 
keep the sacred feast. This is the end to be ac- 
complished, and these the means employed. This 
purpose has engagad the highest thoughts and 
greatest satisfaction of our loving heavenly Father. 



108 TEXAS PULPIT. 

The consideration of some of the divine efforts to 
enthrone the Son in human hearts, will bring us 
back to the design of prophetic symbols. First, 
we have Christ in promise. Second. Christ in 
type. Third. Christ in prophecy. Fourth. Christ 
in fact. Fifth. Christ in history. Sixth. Christ 
in monumental or commemorative institutions. 

In promise — " The seed of the woman shall 
bruise the serpent's head ;" and to Abraham — " In 
thy seed shall all the families of earth be 
blessed ;" in type, the offering of Isaac on the altar 
of sacrifices. Abraham through type saw the Son 
of God suffer death on the same mount. God had 
placed his Son in Abraham's heart through this 
type. Jesus says, " Abraham saw my day and 
was glad." We have two types at the Jewish 
altar of sacrifices : the sacrificial and the scape 
goat. The sins of the nation were confessed, and by 
the hands of the high priest transferred to the head 
of the victim ; the blow descended, the head was 
severed, the blood flowed, death ensued, the atone- 
ment made. This taught in type that Christ, the 
antitype, would bear our sins in his own body. 
He was not only to bear our sins and sorrows, but 
they were to be borne away forever. In this type 
there was a yearly remembrance of sin. After his 
sacrifice for sins, there was to be no more rememb- 
rance of sins. Hence the incompleteness of the 
type and the necessity of another. And thus the 
Lamb of God bears all our sins away. In the idol- 



CHRIST IN PROPHECY. 109 

atrous and darkened land of Egypt, where the pas- 
chal lamb was slain and a nation saved by blood, 
and on which we dwell not now, but hasten on to 
the prophetic symbols. All these symbols, like 
the types over which we have passed, are God's 
called and sent preachers. All but the continued 
and marvelously varied efforts of God to place his 
Son upon the thrones of all hearts and keep him 
there. When we consider that wonderful piece of 
mechanism, and consider with the psalmist, how 
fearfully and wonderfully we are made, and the 
great diversities of mind, heart and temperament, 
together with the multiplied and different methods 
of access and control, and then look at what the 
Bible says that God has done, for silly man to 
reach the conclusion that it is a human invention ; 
that any human would ever have thought of those 
types and adumbrations ; would ever have dreamed 
of clothing the person whom they desired to dwell 
in us with those. There is a knowledge of man's 
nature and weakness and wants that the combined 
wisdom of the world now, with the accumulated 
wisdom of ages, could not devise a plan to meet. 
The truth is, that neither church nor world have 
had sense enough to comprehend it, after it has 
been arranged by the divine mind and spread out 
before them. Hence their failure to understand 
and appreciate the prophetic symbols and their de- 
sign. We have already stated that they are God's 
called and sent preachers of his Son to the world. 



110 TEXAS PULPIT. 

The sun mounts his golden pulpit in the east 
at early morn and eloquently proclaims Christ till 
evening shades appear. Who that has read and 
thought of the prophecy can look out upon the 
golden god of day and see him brightly shine, and 
not think of Christ ? God has identified the name 
of Jesus with the sun by throwing his light around 
and clothing him with it as a garment. He is the 
sun of righteousness. Then through the eye the 
Savior comes when on the sun we look. But amen 
is said and his pulpit vacated ; but not for long. 
Till forth comes the starry hosts of preachers 
bright. The text of each is Christ. Each twink- 
ling orb proclaims the hand that made us is divine, 
and that hand is Christ's. We cannot look up at 
the shining stars and not think of Christ any more 
than we can break the bread and not think of his 
broken body, provided we have studied the one 
lesson as well as we have the "other. He is the 
Star of Bethlehem — the bright and morning star. 
But dark clouds may gather o'er us, and their sil- 
very-threaded rays be obscured. True enough; 
but we will not long be left without a preacher, 
for the clouds will soon open their eyes, which, are 
brimful of accumulating tears, and weep them out 
on the thirsty earth, rejoicing the heart of man 
and beast, reviving the drooping and withered 
flowers, cooling the heated bosom of mother earth, 
refreshing the furrows of the new-plowed field and 
causing them to laugh in gladness. But better for 



CHRIST 11^ PEOPHECY. Ill 

our souls than all this, they make us think of 
Christ. "I am the water of life." Every drop of 
water that falls from an overhanging cloud, that 
surges in the deep, deep sea when her waves are 
lifted up and tempest-tossed, that rushes in the 
rivers, that gurgles in the running brooks, or rip- 
ples in the singing rills, preaches. If we hear the 
rush and roar of mighty waters, he reaches mind 
and heart through the ear. If we look upon the 
placid lake or tossing billows, then he comes 
through the eye. The very stones beneath oar 
feet, on which we thoughtlessly tread, preach to 
us. He is the foundation stone ; the rock of offen- 
ses ; the shadow of a great rock in a weary land. 
We eat our daily bread, for which we give thanks. 
I wonder if the Christian world gets nothing more 
of the bread than does the horse or hog that eats 
the husks. If not, I fear that they have not been 
listening to this called and sent preacher, or have 
not understood his sermon, but have been hearing 
some other who claimed to be called ; have not 
studied prophetic lore. There is to him who un- 
derstands this sermon by the bread preacher, a 
spiritual as well as physical feast. He eats his 
bread and feeds on Christ. I am the bread. We 
put to our thirsty lips the cooling cup to quench 
our thirst. God intended that his children should 
get more out of the sparkling water than this, and 
therefore he indissolubly bound the name of his 
Son with that element. But if we choose not to 



112 TEXAS PULPIT. 

study his symbols and use the means he has given 
to make us think of Christ, and we fail to get a 
spiritual draught with the brimming cup of water, 
and choose to let the thirsty ox our equal be, the 
fault is ours, and not his. We hold in our hand 
the blushing rose, admire its beauty and inhale its 
aroma, and through senses of sight and smell, 
Christ enters our thought and feelings. He is the 
rose of Sharon. We look on deformity and think 
of him. He is a root out of dry ground, no form 
or comeliness in him. On beauteous face and 
form we look, and think of him, the fairest among 
ten thousand. We hear the roar of the lion, or 
the bleating of the lamb ; we see the form of the 
fierce forest king, or the timid, fleeing lamb, and 
through the eye and the ear the blessed Jesus 
comes. 

We look at the beautiful star-gemmed skies, 
and these speak of Christ ; on the earth, he is be- 
neath our feet and all around us. The rocks on 
which we tread, the water we drink, the bread we 
eat^ the rose, the lily of the valley, wherever we 
may be, wherever go, whatever do, we are in the 
midst of reminders of him who loves us — beneath 
our feet and o'er our heads, and all around — all 
the symbols of this wonderful person of whom the 
prophets spoke. 



SERMON" IX. 

THE MEDIATOR OF THE NEW COVENANT 
By W. Y. Taylor. 

Text. — "For there is one God, and one mediator between 
Ood and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself a ran- 
som for all, to be testified in due time." — I. Tim. 2 : 5. 

"And for this cause, he is the mediator of the new testa- 
ment, that by means of death for the redemption of the trans- 
gressions that were under the first testament, they which are 
called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance." — Heb. 
: 15. 

The scheme of redemption piesents to every 
thoughtful mind a beautiful adaptation of means 
to ends, and displays .the infinitude of that wis- 
dom, justice and mercy which has marked the 
dealings of God with man since the beginning of 
time. 

This wisdom has been displayed in every dis- 
pensation, but more fully and completely in the 
Christian dispensation, and especially in " the 
man Christ Jesus," the mediator of the new cove- 
nant. 

The Jewish dispensation was the scaffolding 
about the great temple of Christianity, which was 
necessary to its erection ; but when the building 

8 113 



114 TEXAS PULPIT. 

was completed, this scaffolding was taken down, 
in order that the beanty, symmetry and perfection 
of -the structure might be seen by all the world. 

And when we contrast the old and new cove- 
nants, and their efficiency, in everything that 
pertains to man's relation to his Maker, the supe- 
riority of the new is recognized at once, as ^'being 
established upon better promises," promises of 
pardon and peace, and an inheritance which 
is incorruptible, undefiled and that fadeth not 
away ; and, being established on better promises, 
its obligations are greater, "for if the word spoken 
by angels was steadfast, and every transgression 
and disobedience received a just recompense of 
reward, how shall we escape if we neglect so great 
salvation," and if " he that despised Moses' law 
died without mercy under two or three witnesses, 
of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall 
he be thought worthy who hath trodden under 
foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood 
of the covenant wherewith he was sanctified an 
unholy thing, and hath done despite to the spirit 
of grace." Heb. 10. 

The work of a mediator is to reconcile persons 
who are at variance, and have become separated 
so far that they cannot themselves settle the diffi- 
culty or become reconciled to each other ; when 
more than one is engaged in this work, they are 
called arbitrators. There are always three parties 
to be considered in the work of a mediator — the 



THE MEDIATOE. 115 

offended person, the offender, and the mediator. 
Our theme recognizes God as the offended one, 
man as the offender, and " the man Christ Jesus" 
as the mediator. 

The separation between man and his Maker, 
was caused by disobedience to God's commands. 
The oft repeated story of the garden of Eden, has 
familiarized old and young with the causes which 
alienated man from his Maker, and drove him 
forth as a hopeless wanderer on the earth ; but we 
need not go back to Eden to learn the fact that 
sin separates us from God, and from each other. 
The history of six thousand years has demon- 
strated the fact that sin is the great separater. It 
separates man from his Maker, separates him from 
his fellow man, separates families, and friends, and 
neighbors, and churches, and nations — its work is 
going on to-day, spreading dissension and discord 
all over the world. 

And so great was the separation that a mediator 
become necessary in order to restore man to the 
favor of God. The chasm made by sin separated 
God and man so far that the out-stretched arms of 
the crucified one could alone bring them together 
again. The question has often been asked, why 
was the sacrifice on the cross necessary ? Could 
not he who created all things and "who upholds 
all things by the word of his power," who was in- 
finite in wisdom and resources, have devised some 
means for man's redemption, without the sufferiii'v 



116 TEXAS PULPIT. 

t 

and agony on the cross? Such questions are 
founded upon superficial ideas of the gospel. 
"Whatever view may be taken of the atonement, 
the necessity existed ; if it had not, the prayer in 
the garden of Gethsemane, " Father, if it be possi- 
ble let this cup pass " would have prevailed. 

From the human side of the question, we can 
see a necessity for all the facts connected with 
Christ's mission upon earth ; his miraculous birth 
was necessary to convince men of the fact that he 
is the Son of God ; his life of purity and self-sac- 
rifice, as " he went about doing good," was neces- 
sary to man as an example after which to copy ; 
Ms miracles were necessary to convince man of the 
divine power which God had given to his son ; his 
tears of sorrow at the grave of Lazarus, were 
necessary to convince man of his sympathy and 
compassion ; his death on the cross was necessary 
to demonstrate God's love to men, show the con- 
descension of his Son, and give an example to 
guide men in their love for each other. " Beloved, 
if God so loved us, we ought also to love one an- 
other." And men needed the resurrection of 
Christ to convince them of his power over the 
grave — -his declaration that he was the resurrec- 
tion and the life ; needed the burial in Joseph's 
tomb, and the rolling away of the stone from the 
door of the sepulcher, and the risen body of the 
Son of God, to convince men that he could con- 
quer death and the grave. And they needed the 



THE MEDIATOE. 117 

ascension of the Savior of tlie world, to convince 
them that there is a place for both soul and body, 
and that he had gone to prepare a place for them, 
where they might dwell with him forever. An 
examination of all the facts connected with man's 
redemption, will show that Jesus was the only 
being competent to act as mediator between God 
and man. Angels were not prepared for this 
work ; they were heavenly beings, and not suffi- 
ciently intimate with man ; they were too far off, 
and knew but little of the difficulties, sorrows, 
and temptations of man, and were not subject to 
death ; hence, Paul says that ^' he took not on 
him the nature of angels," but he took on him the 
seed of Abraham ; that he was *'made a little lower 
than the angels for the suffering of death, that he 
by the grace of God should taste death for every 
man." This suffering and death were necessary 
to his perfection, that the sanctifier and sanctified 
might be one. " For as much as the children are 
partakers of flesh and blood, he also, himself took 
part of the same, that through death, he might 
destroy him who had the power of death, that is 
the devil." It was necessary for the one who 
would conquer death, to enter his dominions and 
graple with him there. Angels could not do this, 
not being subject to death; but Jesus, in order to 
do this, become obedient unto death, even the 
death of the cross, that he might be able to 



118 TEXAS PULPIT. 

deliver them who through, fear of death have all 
their lifetime been subject to bondage. 

John, in that sublime vision on the Isle of 
Patmos when the past and future moved in pano- 
ramic splendor before him, says, " I saw, on the 
right hand of him that sat on the throne, a book 
written within and on tbe backside, sealed with 
seven seals, and I saw a strong angel proclaiming 
with a loud voice, who is worthy to open the book 
and to loose the seals thereof. And no man in 
heaven, nor on the earth, nor under the earth, was 
able to open the book, neither to look thereon. 
And I wept much because no man was found 
worthy to open and to read the book, neither to 
look thereon. And one of the elders saith unto 
me, weep not, behold the Lion of the tribe of 
Judah, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open 
the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof." 
Kev. 5. Wo wonder the tender heart of the loving 
and beloved disciple was burdened with grief, so 
that he wept much at such a scene ; and with 
what rapture and joy was that heart filled when 
one was found worthy, and whose God-given 
power enabled him to loose the seals and look 
thereon. 

** With pitying eye, the prince of peace, 

Beheld our helpless grief. 

He saw, and Oh, amazing love ! 

He ran to our relief! 



THE MEDIATOE. 119 

*' Do^yn from the shining seats above, . 
With joyful haste he fled, 
Entered the grave in mortal flesh, 
And dwelt among the dead." 

In the work of a mediator between God and 
man certain specific qualifications are necessary, 
which were alone possessed by the man Christ 
Jesus. 

He is acquainted with God and man. A stranger 
to either could not act as mediator, because he 
would not know the dispositions, surrounding cir- 
cumstances, and the cause of separation. The 
intimate relation of Jesus with his Father, even 
before the world began, and his co-operation with 
Mm in placing man upon the earth, when it was 
said "Let us make man in our image after our 
likeness,'^ enabled him to understand fully the dis- 
position of his Father toward man ; and, in order 
to better acquaint himself with man, he came to 
earth and became one of us, " bone of our bone 
and flesh of our flesh," entered into our tempta- 
tions and sorrows, and went down through the 
"dark valley of the shadow of death," that he 
might be able to understand every condition of 
man, and thus become "a merciful and faithful 
high priest in things pertaining to God, to make 
reconciliation for the sins of the people." 

His relation to each party prepares him for the 
work of mediation, being the Son of God and the 
son of man. If his relation to one party were 



120 TEXAS PULPIT. 

closer than to the other, there might be partiality, 
hut holding this intermediate relationship, being 
no less the kinsman of man than of God, he alone 
occupies a position which prepares him for the 
work of a mediator between them. 

There are also certain qualifications necessary, 
upon the part of man, in order that Jesus ;may 
act as his mediator and reconcile him to God. 

He must be capable of understanding the terms 
of reconciliation found in the gospel. If the gos- 
pel is obscure and mysterious, and not capable of 
being understood by man, Jesus cannot act as his 
mediator. But we find that the gospel is plain — 
that which is required upon man's part is dis- 
tinctly and plainly stated, so that the wayfaring 
man, whose knowledge is limited, need not err 
therein. Everything necessary to man's salvation 
from past sins is stated in plain words, easily un- 
derstood; and. having complied with these condi- 
tions, all the way from earth to heaven is fur- 
nished with sign boards so that no one need go 
astray, or doubt that he is traveling in the great 
highway which leadeth to a city which hath foun- 
dations whose builder and maker is God. 

He must be able also to comply with the terms 
of pardon. If man is so totally depraved, so dead 
in trespasses and in sins, that he cannot comply 
with these terms, he cannot be reconciled to God 
by the death of his Son. Every item of the gospel 
is based upon the ability of man to comply there 



THE MEDIATOE. 121 

with. If man has no ability to perform that 
which it requires, he is not a responsible being. 
But he can comply, and is thus left without 
excuse. 

The terms of reconciliation must be adapted to 
the offense. If a difficulty occurs between two 
neighbors about a business transaction, the terms 
of reconciliation must have special reference to 
that transaction, and provision made also to pre- 
vent a repetition of the offense. 

There is an admirable adaptation in the terms 
of the gospel to the end in view : man's restoration 
to the favor and fellowship of God. The alien- 
ation was caused by unbelief, terminating in an 
act of disobedience to God. The reconciliation is 
brought about by faith, or belief, terminating ii;i 
an act of obedience to God. And all the items 
necessary to salvation between these, are concom- 
itant parts of them ; so much so, that the mediator 
of the New Covenant declares that, " He that be- 
lieveth and is baptized shall be saved." So that 
man travels back over the road by which he w^nt 
astray. Unbelief and disobedience separated him 
from his Maker, and faith and obedience takes 
him back to the point from whence he went 
astray. 

Provision is made, also, against a repetition of 
the offense, "by patient continuance in well 
doing," and faithfulness until death. The Lord's 
Supper is a continual reminder of what it cost to 



122 TEXAS PULPIT. 

recover us from sin; and the glorious promises 
calculated to impel us to hold out faithful to the 
end. "For as often as ye eat this bread, and 
drink this cup, ye do show the Lord's death till he 
come." 

In the great work of reconciliation, God, the 
offended one, has done his part. " He so loved the 
world that he gave his only begotten Son, that 
whosoever believeth on him should not perish, but 
have everlasting life," and he is not willing that 
any should perish, but that all should come to 
repentance. He has proposed terms, at once rea- 
sonable, just and merciful, and invites sinners to 
be reconciled to him. 

Jesus has done his part. He left the glory 
which he had with the Father before creation's 
dawn : left heaven, with all its anthems of rapture 
and joys; bade farewell to all the bright beings 
which surround the throne, to golden streets, and 
jasper walls, and pearly gates — came to earth, 
became a man of sorrows and acquainted with 
grief, and, to finish the work which was given him 
to do, he gave up his life on the cross to save man 
from the degradation and ruin of sin, and make 
him a king and priest unto God, and an heir to an 
eternal inheritance and when all power in heaven 
and earth was given unto him by the Father, he 
proclaimed the terms of pardon, and sent forth 
those whom he had prepared by his personal min- 
istry to proclaim the life-giving message to all the 



THE MEDIATOR. 123 

world, and assured them that he would be with 
them even unto the end; and then left the earth 
to go and prepare a place for all who would follow 
him, that they might dwell with him forever. 

The ambassadors for Christ have gone forth, and 
have proclaimed these " wonderful words of life," 
and the sinner is without excuse. 

No other sacrifice will ever be made for man's 
redemption from the bondage of sin. '' Christ 
was once offered to bear the sins of many." He 
gave himself a ransom for all — and whatever may 
be the surprises of the future, no other savior will 
offer himself for the sins of the world. Men may 
fall back as dead again, at appalling scenes, but 
not at the death of another savior. The heavens 
may become dark again, and the earth reel to and 
fro as a drunken man, but not at the crucifixion 
of a world's redeemer. 

Every provision has been perfected, and in the 
most assuring words the weary and heavy laden 
are invited to come and have rest. 



SEEMOiq' X. 
REDEMPTION IN CHRIST. 
By R. B. Trimble. 

Text. — "And the angel of the Lord called unto Abraham, 
out of heaven, the second time, And said, by myself have I 
sworn, saith the Lord; for because thou hast done this thing, 
and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son, That in blessing 
I will bless thee, and in multiplying, I will multiply thy seed 
as the stars of the heavens, and as the sand upon the seashore; 
and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies. And in thy 
seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou 
hast obeyed my voice." — Gen. 22: 15-18. 

The scripture quoted serves me as a text to 
preach to, and not from. I apprehend that at this 
day and time, we have far too much preaching 
from, texts, and too little preaching to them. Dear 
reader, I set my Jacob- staff down in this old prom- 
ise, made of God, and confirmed "by his oath to 
Abraham, who is the father of all the true Israel 
of God. In reviewing this survey of man's redemp- 
tion in Christ, I shall guess at nothing. Neither 
will I indulge in any suppositions, but shall bring- 
to our support, a thus saith the Lord for all that 
we say. This little preposition in will constitute 
the pivot of this discussion. In Christ there is 
eternal life for man, out of Christ is death. " To 

124 



REDEMPTION IN CHRIST. 125 

the law and the testimony," is our motto. And 
now to proceed. The first question to be settled 
is, to whom did God in this promise to Abraham 
have reference when he said in thy seed ? I invite 
the reader to turn with me to Gal. 3:16, here Paul, 
the learned commentator on this promise, says, 
"When God made promise to Abraham, he spake 
not of 'Seeds as of many, but of one, and of thy 
seed which is Christ." This settles the question, 
leaving no room for doubt. This then, would read, 
In Christ shall all nations be blessed. 

In Christy is where redemption is procured for 
man. Next we invite the reader to turn to I. John 
5:11, "And this is the record, that God hath 
given to us eternal life, and this life is in 
Ms Sony The prevailing idea of this age is, 
that pardon and life may be sought and obtained 
anywhere, and in almost any way. Often have 
I been asked the question, " Is not God a being 
possessed of all power, is he not omnipres- 
ent?" To which I answer, " Most assuredly he is, 
only in so far as he has restricted himself." This 
being admitted, cannot God pardon sins in one place 
as well as another ? To which I reply, he surely 
could if he had so purposed and promised to do. 
While it is admitted and believed that God is 
everywhere present, at the same instant of time, 
are we, therefore, to conclude that he is present 
everywhere to pardon sins ? In tlie Jewish age God 
had but one altar erected at the same time, and 



126 TEXAS PULPIT. 

that altar located at but one place. Thither were 
his people required to come to offer their sacrifices, 
When he made choice of Jerusalem as the place to 
inscribe his name, in Exodus 20 : 24, he says, " An 
altar of earth thou shalt make unto me, and offer 
thereon thy burnt offerings, thy sheep and thy 
oxen. In all places where I record my name, I will 
meet you and bless you." 11. Chron. 6 : 6, he says, 
"I have chosen Jerusalem, that my name might be 
there." Having thus established the place for his 
name, service done in any other place, and though 
done in like manner, was not accepted of God. 
Having thus established the place and order of his 
worship, he then forwarns his people, saying, 
" take heed to yourselves, that you offer not your 
sacrifices (or service) in every place you see. In 
every grove or under every green tree." Thus it 
is clearly evident that God is a being of profound 
order, in his old economy, " a place for everything 
and everything in its place." So it is in his econ- 
omy now, under the gospel. He has but one way 
and one place to meet and pardon sins, in Christ, 
and not a promise out of Him. 

That we proceed according to promise, we in- 
vite you to turn with us and read II. Cor. 5 : 17. 
"Therefore, if any man be in Clirist^ he is a new 
creature." Not if he imagines he is, but if he 
absolutely be in Christ. " Old things are passed 
away." Not that they will pass away, but are 
(present tense) passed away, Judaism, with all of 



EEDEMPTIOiS- IN CHRIST. 127 

its ceremonial requirements, have all served the 
purposes for which it (the Jewish law) was given. 
The new covenant has supplanted the old, there- 
fore all things pertaining to man's perfected 
redemption have become new, and all of God, who 
hath reconciled us unto him-self, says Paul, and 
hath committed to us (apostles) the ministry of 
reconciliation," to-wit, that God was in Christ 
reconciling the world unto himself, not recon- 
ciling himself to the world. " Now then (says 
Paul) we (the apostles) are embassadors for Christ, 
as though God did beseech you, by us, we pray you 
(not God) be ye reconciled to God." Dear reader, 
is it not strange that nine-tenths of the prayers 
going up these days, are being put up to God to 
be reconciled to sinners, when it is true that God 
loves the sinner, and has provided reconciliation 
in Christ, more than eighteen hundred years ago, 
and is to-day, through his church and servants, 
praying sinners to be reconciled to God, in Christ, 
where God is for reconciliation ? Let us now invert 
the subject, i. e.. To show a tithe of the blessings 
accruing to man in consequence of being in Christ. 
When this is done, then show the way, or how we 
get into Christ. Surely no one can conclude that so 
much importance to man attaches to being in 
Christ, and then suppose that a wise and merciful 
God lias left his ignorant creature man, to grope in 
darkness, and feel his way into Christ. What a 
pitiable scene it is, when preachers, leaders of the 



128 TEXAS PULPIT. 

people, claiming to be called and sent of God to 
preach the gospel, are seen appealing to the pas- 
sions and emotional nature of those wholly igno- 
rant of the gospel, teaching them to pray to God 
to come down from heaven and show himself 
reconciled to them.* Thus it is, that their effort is 
to convert and reconcile God to sinners, as though 
God is the irreconciled party, as though God had, 
in a passion, gone away from his erring creature 
man. And now he has to be appeased by pen- 
ance, self-affliction and prayer, before he will be 
reconciled to poor, believing, penitent sinners, not- 
withstanding the merciful entreaties and pleading 
invitations of the gospel, say to them, " Come to 
me, and you shall find rest to your souls," " God 
so loved the world," (not that he is angry and 
hates sinners) he hates sin, but loves the sinner, 
hence he has provided redemption for all in 
Christ, This provision was made more than 
eighteen hundred years ago. Now the work for 
preachers and all Christians to do is to teach 
sinners that God loves them ; that the work of 
reconciliation on the part of God is completed. 
All that is now remaining to be done, is to teach 
the sinner to be reconciled to God in Christ, where 
God is. 

Now, to present a tithe of the blessing (Spir- 
itual) for man in Christ (Col. 1 : 14), Paul says, 
speaking of Christ, " In whom we have redemption 
through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins." 



EEDEMPTIOI^^ IN CHKIST. 129 

Header, we desire you to note this first quotation. 
It has much to do in showing what baptism has to 
do in the plan of salvation, to which I wish, at tlie 
proper time and place in this discourse, to invite 
special attention. We wish to make a close ana- 
lytical investigation along here, as we proceed. 
Next we ask, why is it, that in Christy redemption 
and remission of sins are found and obtained? 
See Col. 2:9. It is in Christ where concentrated 
divinity is, " In him dwelleth the fullness of the 
God-head ; " Christ is the mediator, or middle man, 
possessing two whole and perfect natures, being 
first divine in his nature, and therefore, acceptable 
to the divine side, it became necessary that he 
should also partake of human nature, that he 
might be acceptable to the human side. Hence, 
we see the condescension of God our loving 
Father. In order to make the way possible for 
man to have access to God, he did, as it were, 
descend from his exalted habitation in heaven, 
and took up his abode in Christ, mediator or mid- 
dle man, thus condescending to meet helpless man 
half way between heaven and earth, he calls the 
lost of Adam's race to rise up and meet him in 
Christy where God in mercy has placed himself, 
that lost sinners may become reconciled to God. 
Should it then be a wonder that poor sinners 
should become "new creatures," obtaining redemp- 
tion through his blood, even the forgiveness of 

sins, seeing that they are brought into the fulness 
9 



130 TEXAS PULPIT. 

of the divine " Godhead, dwelling bodily in 
CTiristy Remission of sins is a spiritual bless- 
ing. And where found ? In Christ. See Eph. 1 : 3^ 
"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord 
Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spir- 
itual blessings in Christ." There is not a spirit- 
ual blessing promised to man out of Christ. Re- 
mission of sins is a blessing that is purely 
spiritual, and is obtained and enj oyed by none 
save those who are in Christy for all spiritual 
blessings are in Mm, not one out of him. Why 
should this be so ? Because all blessings of a 
spiritual nature arise from promises of God ; in 
the absence of promise, there can be no hope, for 
hope is the legitimate offspring of promise ; hence 
no promise, no hope (II. Cor. 1 : 20). " For all 
the promises of God in Mm (Christ) are yea and 
amen," etc. From this we learn that all of God's 
promises, not merely the first one made respecting 
man's recovery from sin and the grave, which 
serves as a text or starting point for this discourse. 
All promises are in Christ, hence he is " Alpha 
and omega, the first and the last." " He is the 
fullness of him that filleth all in all." 

We wish next to inquire, as to who is embraced 
within these grand and glorious provisions. The 
entire accountable race of mankind may partici- 
pate in this grand scheme, "Christ died for the 
sins of the whole world." Hence, Jews and Gen- 
tiles are alike embraced in the promise of God, 



EEDEMPTION IN CHRIST. 131 

standing at the head of this sermon, ^'All the 
nations may be blessed in Christ, the seed of 
Abraham." (See Eph. 3 : 1-6.) Paul says, "That 
the Gentiles should be fellow heirs, and of the 
same body, and partakers of his (God's) promise 
in Christ, by the gospel," alluding to this same 
promise made to Abraham, and confirmed by his 
oath. Having presented some of the blessings in 
store for man in Christ, and the universality of 
its provisions, we are brought now to the con- 
sideration of the conditions by which we become 
recipients of the distinguished honor of heirship 
with God, as fellow heirs with Christ, and espe- 
cially would request the reader to draw distinctly 
in his mind the line between conditions and causes 
of salvation. We have presented a faint and par- 
tial view of the grand moving cause of our 
redemption, the great love of God for man, and 
growing out of this all other causes. It is ours 
now to examine into the scriptural conditions of 
redemption or remission of sins in Christ. The 
first condition is one which will not be disputed 
by anybody. That is, the belief with the heart, 
on Christ, as the Son of God. It is superfluous 
to waste time and space in proving this. It is 
positively declared by him, who spake as never 
man spake, "He that believeth not shall be 
damned." Again, "Without faith it is impossible 
to please God." But, before it can be said of a 
man that he is in a house, he had first to come 



132 TEXAS PCLPIT. 

into tlie house. To say of a man tliat lie is in 
Christ, presupposes that he was at some previous 
time out of, away from Christ. Do you, dear 
reader, remember to have read in the New Testa- 
ment, where it is said that any man ever believed 
into Christ? If so, you have seen more than I 
have. You have read of believers in Christ, but 
who were they? They are those who are in 
Christ, and believers. No alien, or man out of 
Christ, can be a believer in Christ, for the simple 
reason that he is not in Christ to believe. We 
find that there are four conditions stipulated in 
the gospel, which men are required to observe, in 
order to gospel assurance of justification, or par- 
don of sins. I will introduce an illustration : 

Here is a large house. There is but one door, 
or way of entrance, to this house. There are four 
steps to be made in entering the house. Outside 
of this house is peril and danger. Within its 
walls there is security from the peril without. 
Proclamation is made to the crowd without^ — that 
there is safety within the walls of this building, 
and all are invited to come into the house. The 
rush is made. The first steps upon the first step, 
which we call faith, and cries, "I am in the 
house." Is he, therefore, in the house? You 
know, and so does he, that he is not in the house. 
He is on the way. Do not let us deceive him. He 
is proceeding right. Paul says (Rom. 10 : 10), 
"With the heart man believeth unto righteous- 



REDEMPTION IN CHRIST. 133 

ness." He is only unto, at, a right course, which 
will, if pursued, lead him into the house. When 
a man believes with his heart, it is " unto right- 
eousness." Encourage him to persevere and step 
upon the second step. This we call repentance, 
and he cries now, " I am in the house." No, he is 
not, but nearer than when on the first. Encourage 
him to come along. He steps on the third step, 
which we call confession, and says, "Now, I am in 
the house." No, he is only unto it. So near — one 
more step will put him into the house. Have you 
read in the Scripture that any believer ever re- 
pented and confessed into Christ ? I trow not. 
Let us see how far our friend has got on his way 
into the house. Let us read Rom. 10 : 10, again : 
"With the heart man believes unto righteous- 
ness, and with the mouth confession is made unto 
salvation." Unto and into mean very different 
things. Unto signifies at, to, up to, but not in or 
into. Let us try it. Acts, 8th chapter, Philip and 
the enuch were in a chariot. Philip preached 
Jesus to him. As they went on their way, they 
came unto a certain water. The enuch said, " See, 
here is water; what hinders me to be baptized?" 
Here we see they came unto a certain water. The 
language and all of the circumstances show that 
they had come up to, at, the water. Hence, the 
enuch said, " See, here is water," not " See, yonder 
is water." But, having come unto it, they were 
then at it. Having come unto it, the chariot was 



134 TEXAS PULPIT. 

lialted, and they both went down from the chariot 
into the water. Hence, our friend has, while on 
the third step, confession, only come unto the 
house, from which the fourth step, baptism, will 
put him into the house. Faith, repentance, con- 
fession with the mouth of the Lord Jesus," and 
baptism, are the conditions laid down by Christ 
for the remission of sins and induction into 
Christ's church. 

Now, we call for our first quotation that we 
asked you to remember, to show what water bap- 
tism has to do with pardon, seeing we cannot find 
a passage where anyone is said to be in Christ 
until baptized. We quote E,om. 6 : " Know ye 
not that so many of us as were baptized into 
Jesus Christ were baptized into his death ? There- 
fore we are buried with him by baptism into 
death," etc. Why baptized into his death ? An- 
swer: That we may come to his blood, that 
washes away sin. To get to his blood, we must 
come to where it was shed. When and where did 
Christ shed his blood? Answer: In his death. 
At what time in his death? Reader, have we- any 
proof that Christ ever shed one drop of his blood, 
while life was in his body? If so, where is the 
Scripture found ? The word of God is as silent as 
the grave on the subject. One is ready to answer, 
yes, as some, even preachers, have done when I 
preached on this subject. Wlien I called for the 
Scripture, they answered, "In the garden, when 



REDEMPTION" IN CHRIST. 135 

lie sweat great drops of blood." The Book don't 
say, "He sweat great drops of blood," but " sweat 
as it were great drops of blood." It was sweat, 
and not blood. "Well," says one, "don't yon 
suppose that blood ran from his hands and feet, 
when spiked to the cross?" I promised in the 
beginning not to indulge in suppositions, and not 
to guess at anything, but to produce a " thus saith 
the Lord" for all in this sermon. Christ shed his 
blood, his atoning blood, after he was dead. Now 
for the proof. Turn with me to John 19 : 32. Jesus 
and the thieves are hanging upon the cross. The 
Sabbath is approaching. It was unlawful to leave 
them hanging on the Sabbath. Pilate orders them 
examined and taken from the cross. " Then came 
the soldiers and break the legs of the thieves ; but 
when they came to Jesus, and saw that he was 
dead already, they break not his legs, but one of 
the soldiers with a spear pierced his side, and 
forthwith came there out blood and water." Asso- 
ciated, when it flowed from the side of the Rock of 
our salvation, how significant this! Think of it! 
The blood of atonement, when shed, to fill that 
*' fountain opened in the house of King David for 
sin and for uncleanness." Dear reader, if God, in 
his wisdom, should associate water with the blood 
shed by his atoning Lamb, should it be thought a 
thing incredible with you that he should keep 
them associated till now for the salvation of his 
creatures ? Now turn with me again, I. John 5:6: 



136 TEXAS PULPIT. 

" This is lie that came by water and blood, even 
Jesus Christ; not by water only, but by water and 
blood. And it is the Spirit that beareth witness, 
because the Spirit is truth." The 8th verse says : 
''There are three that bear witness in earth, the 
Spirit, and the water, and the blood; and these 
three agree in one." 

That this discourse may not be too long, we in- 
vite the reader to turn with us again to the Scrip- 
tures, Gal. 3 : 26: "For ye are all the children of 
God, by faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of 
you as have been 'baptized into Jesus Christ have 
put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, 
bond nor free, male nor female : for ye are all one 
in Christ Jesus. And if jq be Christ's, then are 
ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the 
promise." 

We have found our way back to our beginning 
corner, whence we started in running this grand 
old survey of the plan of man's salvation in 
Christ. We are willing to leave the matter witk 
the reader to decide as to whether we have 
preached to, or from, our text. We came right 
along with the records and field notes of this old 
survey, and at the close of our investigation we 
set our Jacob-staff down in that same promise 
made of God to Abraham. Paul, that grand old 
commentator on the Abrahamic covenant and the 
promises, says, as many of the Galatians as had 
been baptized into Jesus Christ had put on Christ, 



REDEMPTIOK IIS" CHRIST. 137 

and had all been thus made one in Christ, thus 
becoming Abraham's seed, and heirs of God, ac- 
cording to this same old promise. 

To conclude this discourse, I wish to present 
some of the high honors to be attained and en- 
joyed only by those who wisely and timely heed 
the gospel teaching, and avail themselves of its 
heavenly provisions. The way is plain. "So 
plain that he that runs may read." Even the 
"way-faring man, though he be a simpleton, shall 
not err therein." John, enrapt in the spiritual 
vision on the Isle of Patmos, looking through the 
telescope of vision, saw the glory of the New Jeru- 
salem, and the crowning honor of the heirs of 
that precious old "promise of God to Abraham." 
He breaks forth in these words (Rev. 14:13): 
"And I heard a voice from heaven, saying unto 
me. Write, blessed are the dead who die in the 
Lord, yea, from henceforth," etc. The blessing is 
for those who die in the Lord. The implication 
is clear that there are those who die out of the 
Lord. Paul says (I. Thess. 4:13): " But I would 
not, brethren, that you should be ignorant con- 
cerning those who are asleep, that you sorrow not 
as those who have no hope." Again : "We who 
are alive at the coming of the Lord shall not pre- 
vent them who are asleep. The trumpet shall 
sound, and the dead in Christ shall rise first." 
Rev. 20 : 6 : John says, " Blessed and holy are 
they who have a part in the first resurrection; on 



138 TEXAS PCJLPIT. 

sucli the second deatli has no power, but they 
shall be kings and priests of God, and shall reign 
with Christ a thousand years." To sum up, we 
ask, Who are they over whom the second death 
has no power? Answer: Those who have part 
in the first resurrection. Who are to rise first? 
Answer: Those who sleep in Jesus. Who are 
they that sleep in Jesus ? Answer : Those who 
die m the Lord. Who are those who " die in the 
liord?" They are those who "put on Christ." 
Who are they that put on Christ? They are 
those who were "baptized into Christ." 

I have presented the foregoing with the hope 
that some one, or more, of my fellow-mortals may 
be benefited and assisted in arriving at a more 
perfect knowledge of the way of life. 



SEEMOIN" XI. 

RECONCILIATION. 

By H. Ab. Smith. 

Text. — "To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the 
world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them ; 
and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation." — 
II. Cor. 5 : 19. • 

To be reconciled to God, strikes us at once as a 
matter of no little importance. Even if one be at 
enmity with liis fellowmen, and reasonable terms 
of reconciliation arc offered, if lie has a peaceful 
disposition, he is glad of the privilege of having 
the feeling of enmity subdued, and terms of peace 
brought about. 

It is customary and right for the offending one, 
in a case of insult or offense, to go to the offended 
party, if the offended party offer to the offender 
reasonable terms of peace or reconciliation. The 
offended party is not expected to go to the offender 
for terms of peace, but mcc "Gersa. In the case 
before us, God is the offended party^ and man the 
offender, for man has sinned against God as a 
sinner, and is continually and habitually going 
contrary to his holy will. Then of course God is 

139 



140 TEXAS PULPIT. 

the one to offer the terms of peace, and man 
should be grateful for the privilege of going to 
God and accepting the terms of reconciliation. 
But instead of this, we hear many people asking 
the Lord to come down and pardon their sins, not 
seeming to understand that they are to come to 
the Lord, instead of the Lord coming down to 
them. This practice of calling on the Lord to 
come down to them is not only very unreasonable, 
but is directly contrary to Paul's instruction in 
Romans 10 : 6. " Say not in thine heart, Who shall 
ascend into heaven (that is to bring Christ down 
from above)." The preacher then, instead of ask- 
ing Christ to come down to the sinner, should 
beseech the sinner to come to Christ, and accept his 
terms of reconciliation. 

Some one might ask, has God, as the offended 
party, offered any terms of peace or reconciliation 
to man, the offender? Observe in the latter part 
of the text, it says and " hath committed unto us 
the word of reconciliation." From this we learn 
that our Heavenly Father, in his tender mercy for 
poor, sinful, insulting, offending humanity, com- 
mitted to the apostles the word of reconciliation, 
and these apostles by inspiration have given us in 
the Book of inspiration the terms of reconciliation 
God offers to man. Not only does our Heavenly 
Father give us the word of reconciliation, but he 
asks us to come to him at a certain place, and 
designates that place, " God was in Christ." 



EKCONCILIATIO]^. 141 

Then, in order to be reconciled to God, the sinnei 
must get to where God is, and where he can meet 
God, and so be reconciled unto him. 

I. " In Christ," then, is the place where God is ; 
and whatever steps are necessary to bring the sin- 
ner into Christ are necessary to his reconciliation. 
Again, Paul says in this same chapter, " If any 
man be in Christ he is a new creature." Being a 
new creature is equivalent to being reconciled to 
God, and is dependent on being in Christ. Also 
the same writer (in Ephesians) speaks of "All 
spiritual blessings in heavenly places m Christ." 
Thus, we see that much depends on being in 
Christ, not only being a new creature, and being 
reconciled to God, but it here gives forth the idea 
that all spiritual blessings are m Christ. Then if 
this be the case, and how can we gainsay it, if 
any spiritual blessing is sought, it must be found 
in Christ. So we now see the importance of learn- 
ing just how the sinner can get into Christ and so 
be reconciled to God and enjoy all spiritual bless- 
ings. 

1. 'No one would expect to make a start to this 
place without faith, for it pleases God for man to 
come to him and be reconciled to him, and it is 
plainly stated in Hebrews 11 : 6, that without faith 
it is impossible to please God. Then, believing 
on Christ with all the heart is agreed by all relig- 
ious teachers to be essential to getting into Christ, 
Nand is certainly one of the steps to be made. But 



142 TEXAS PULPIT. 

some would say, is not this the only step essential 
to getting into Christ ? Let us see. Does the Bible 
anywhere say that we believe into Christ ? There 
is no passage in any of the translations we have, 
that translates the Greek preposition, eis, into, 
when connected with faith in Christ. The fact is, 
one can not believe into anytliing. He may be- 
lieve on, or in, the thing, but not into it. For in- 
stance, one may believe on, or in, the Masonic 
institution, but he can not believe into it. He 
believes in it and is initiated into it. Of course 
you see the difference in unto and into. I may 
come to or unto a church house, but am not yet in 
it, until I take other steps. Then, we claim that 
when the sinner believes on Christ he has simply 
made one step unto or towards Christ. Paul, in 
Romans 10: 10, says, "With the heart man be- 
lieveth unto righteousness," not into righteous- 
ness. So according to the Bible, " the word of rec- 
onciliation committed to us," we find that the sin- 
ner in believing on Christ, has only taken one 
step unto or towards Christ, and has not yet got- 
ten into Christ, where Grod promises to meet him. 
2. Does not the believer repent into Christ, some 
one is ready to inquire ? The Book of Inspiration 
nowhere says so; but in Acts 11:18, we find that 
to the Gentiles was granted "repentance unto 
life," but not into life. Christ is our life, so repen- 
tance unto life is equivalent to repentance unto 
Christ. So we find that the believer, in taking the 



EECONCILIATION. 143 

step of repentance, is still going unto or towards 
Christ, and lias not yet gotten into him. 

3. But confession is the only essential now to 
his getting into Christ where God is, with the 
promise of reconciliation, some one is ready to 
say. But does the word of Crod anywhere say we 
confess into Christ:? No indeed! But we do find 
that Paul says, in Rom. 10 : 10, " With the heart 
man believeth unto righteousness, and with the 
mouth confession is made unto salvation," but not 
into salvation, as you have no doubt observed ; so 
now, we find from these quotations, as well as oth- 
ers that might be given, that man in believing on 
Christ, repenting of his sins, and confessing the 
Savior with the mouth, has taken three steps unto 
or towards Christ, but has not yet taken a step 
that puts him into Christ. These steps are of es- 
sential importance, for you can't get into anything 
till you have gotten unto it, but another stex^, not 
yet stated, is required to get into Christ. For in- 
stance, one wishing to get into a church house, or 
a building of any kind, literally speaking, might 
first ride unto the church in a buggy, then walk 
unto the house, and run unto the door, having 
taken three steps unto or towards the house, and 
yet not be inside the house, or into the house. 
But, after riding unto the place, and walking unto 
the house, and running unto the door, he should 
make another step into the house, and we can 
safely say he is in the building, but not till he has 



144 TEXAS PULPIT. 

taken the last named step. Well, now, some one 
is ready to inquire, does the Bible anywhere pre- 
sent a requisition that puts one into Christ after 
having believed, repented and confessed. We 
would ask such inquirers to read Gal. 3 : 27. 

4. "As many of you as have been baptized into 
Christ have put on Christ." You observe in this 
quotation that in taking this last step, baptism, it 
is no longer unto, but " baptized into Christ." So 
now, after taking all these steps, we are in Christ, 
where our text says God is, reconciling the world 
unto himself. So, dear reader, if you want to be 
reconciled to God, do not stop short of obedience 
to all these requisitions. Don't risk your salva- 
tion this side of a hearty compliance with any 
one of them, for it is an all important matter to be 
reconciled to God. " God so loved the world that 
he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever be- 
lieveth in him should not perish, but have everlast- 
ing life," and he invites you to accept of his terms 
of reconciliation, and so be a new creature in 
Christ. Meet our heavenly Father in Christ, 
where are all spiritual blessings, give to him your 
heart and life, live faithful until death, and you 
shall at last have a crown of righteousness. Those 
of us who have thus been reconciled to God, can 
we not thank the Lord with deep heartfelt praise 
that " the way is so plain," and can we not say 
with the poet, 



RECONCILIATION. 145 

" Let me love thee more and more, 
Till this fleeting, fleeting, life is o'er, 
Till my soul is lost in love, 
In a brighter, brighter world above." 

II. Not only, however, is the sinner to get into 
Christ, and find " all spiritual blessings," but after 
he gets into this reconciled state, the all important 
consideration with him, then, is to abide there. 
The Savior says in John 15: 6, "If a man abide 
not in me, he is cast forth as a branch and is with- 
ered." 

1. How can you abide in Christ ? By letting 
his *' words abide in you." Continue to prayer- 
fully study Grod's word. " Let the word of Christ 
dwell in you richly in all wisdom." " If you con- 
tinue in his word, then are you his disciple in- 
deed." By keeping his commandments. "If ye 
keep my commandments you shall abide in my 
love." 

2. Why abide in Christ? That you may bring 
forth much fruit, and so glorify God. " He that 
abideth in me and I in him, the same bringeth 
forth much fruit." "Herein is my Father glori- 
fied, that ye bear much fruit." Brethren and sis- 
ters in Christ, are you bearing fruit to the glory of 
God ? Are you letting " your light shine ?" Do 
you heed the admonition "not forsaking the assem- 
bling of ourselves together as the manner of some 
is ?" Do you " lay by in store upon the first day 
of the week," for the Lord's cause ? Do you 

10 



14:6 TEXAS PULPIT. 

" visit the fatherless and the widows in their afflic- 
tion," and keep yourself unspotted from the 
world? How important these considerations are 
to yon! The inheritance at last will be to "him 
that overcometh." The Savior will say at the last 
day to those who are to " inherit all things, " 
" Well done, thou good and faitliful seT'Gant.''^ He 
cannot say this to you unless it be so with you, 
unless you have been faithful, and served him to 
the best of your ability. Then there is no other 
consideration of half so much importance to you 
as this. The cares of this life are nothing to be 
compared with the things pertaining to the life 
which is to come, for your present lifetime is only 
a mere speck on the face of vast eternity. Then, if 
you have once gotten into Christ, and thus been 
reconciled to God, abide there. Work for the sal- 
vation of souls. Watch yourself in the light of 
God's word. Pray without ceasing, and then when 
you come down to the chilly waters of the Jordan 
of death you can reflect back over a life well spent, 
and joyfully say with the man of God, " Yea, 
though I walk through the valley of the shadow 
of death, I will fear no evil ; for thou art with me ; 
thy rod and thy staff they comfort me." 



sEEMoi^ xn. 

SALVATION ASCRIBED TO DIFFERENT 

CAUSES. 

By J. W. Jackson. 
Text.— Heb. 2: 1-4. 

In the scheme of redemption there is revealed a 
GREAT SALVATioiT. It is for man. To neglect it is 
to despise the mercy of God, and bring upon our- 
selves sure destruction. Nevertheless, many do 
neglect it, and pass through life unmindful of the 
weighty responsibilities resting upon them. Many 
false teachers have entered into the world, and by 
their perversions of truth have deluded the people. 
The blinding vail of partisanship shuts out from 
them the benign rays of light that emanate from 
the Sun of Righteousness. Having the under- 
standing darkened, they walk, in the vanity of 
their minds, after those perverse systems that 
destroy the soul (Eph. 4 : 17, 18). They are not 
approved of God, because they do not rightly 
divide the word of truth (II. Tim. 2 : 15), but 
rather make void the commandments of God by; 
their traditions (Mark 7: 13). In this discourse, 

147 



148 TEXAS PULPIT. 

it shall be my aim to show that there is perfect 
harmony and unity in God's plan of saving men, 
and that all the causes or agencies to which salva- 
tion is ascribed, are necessary. 

The great salvation of which the apostle speaks 
in our text, is salvation from sin. This we enjoy 
here. Eternal salvation is to be enjoyed hereafter, 
by all who obey Jesus (Heb. 5 : 9). 

In our investigation of the subject, we must 
note : First, the agents^ both divine and human, 
employed in the work of saving men ; second, the 
Tneans divinely appointed, to which salvation is 
ascribed, and third, the conditmns required of 
man in order to the possession and enjoyment of 
salvation. By thus dividing causes, into agents, 
means, and conditions, we shall be enabled, not 
only to obtain a comprehensive view of the whole 
system, but demonstrate the harmonious relation 
and connection of each part with the other. I 
here present an analysis of these causes : 

Agents. Means. Conditions. 

1. God, the Father. 1. The grace of God. 1. Belief. 

2. Jesus the Christ. 2. The blood of Christ. 2. Repentance. 

3. The Holy Spirit. 3. The gospel. 3. Confession. 

4. The Apostles. 4. Preaching. 4. Baptism. 

5. The end, salvation. 

In addition to the items introduced above, we 

have a comprehensive statement. made by Peter 

*(Acts 2:21), and by Paul (Rom. 10:13), "that 

whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord 



SALVATION. 149 

shall be savedo" To " call upon the name of the 
Lord" is to invoke the interposition of his author- 
ity between us and Godo We are sinners, guilty, 
under condemnation, and we need salvation or 
pardon, Jesus has all authority in heaven and 
upon earth (Matt. 28 : 18). There is salvation in 
no other name given under heaven among men 
(Acts 4 : 10-12). The authority of Jesus must be 
interposed between the sinner and condemnation, 
or he will be lost. But will Jesus interfere in 
behalf of an unbelieving or disobedient one ? No, 
he must believe and obey the authority of Jesus, 
and tlien salvation is given. So Paul reasons 
(Rom. 10 : 13-17)e Hence, we conclude that this 
expression, " calling upon the name of the Lord," 
is a comprehensive one, including all the condi- 
tions required of man. Besides the above, I 
notice two other statements made by Paul. " We 
are saved by hope/^^ Homo : 245 and, " work out 
your own salvation with fear and trembling." 
PhiL 2 : V2. These two items are addressed to 
Christians, and point forward to a salvation to be 
hereafter enjoy edo 

To return now to the analysis given above. The 
agents employed in procuring salvation for man 
use certain means, in order to place that salvation 
within reach of man. " The grace of God that 
brings salvation has appeared to all men." Titus 
2: 11. "By grace ye are saved." Ep. 2:5-8. 
The love of God for man moved him to send Jesus 



150 TEXAS PULPIT. 

into tTie world. This was the Father's work. He 
sent his only begotten son into the world to save 
it (John 3 : 16, 17). But without the shedding of 
blood there is no salvation (Heb. 9 : 22). Hence, 
Jesus shed his blood to procure salvation for us 
(Heb. 9: 12). " The blood of Christ cleanseth us 
from all sin." I. John 1 : 7. But simply the shed- 
ding of blood of beasts had no efficacy in procur- 
ing salvation ; it was necessary that the perfect 
sacrifice be offered. So, the apostle says of Jesus, 
'' wherefore it is of necessity that this man have 
also somewhat to offer." Heb. 8: 3. None but 
priests are permitted to make offerings to God. 
So that Jesus had to be made Priest. " For the 
word of the oath which was since the law maketh 
the son (a priest) who is consecrated forever more." 
Heb. 7 : 28. Being made High Priest, there was of 
necessity a time and place, when and where the 
offering was made. " But Christ being come a 
High Priest of good things to come by a greater 
and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, 
that is to say, not of this building ; neither by the 
blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood, 
he entered in once into the holy place, having ob- 
tained eternal redemption for us." . . . "For 
Christ is not entered into the holy places made 
with hands, which are the figures of the true, but 
into heaven itself now to appear in the presence of 
God for us." Heb. 9: 11; 12: 24. The offering 
then, was made in heaven by Christ our High 



SALVATION. 151 

Priest, after the shedding of his blood on the cross; 
after his burial, resurrection, and ascension, and 
after the offering was made, he was exalted to the 
right hand of the Father, and made Lord of all 
(Heb. 10 : 12-13 ; Phil. 2 : 5-11). 

Before Jesus left the earth, he selected certain 
ones to be with him, whom he ordained apostles 
(Mark 3 : 14 ; John 15 : 16). They were to be am- 
bassadors for Christ (I. Cor. 5 : 20), bearing the 
message of reconciliation to rebellious man. As 
ambassadors, they should speak authoritatively 
upon all subjects relating to the administration of 
the kingdom of heaven among men. Jesus said to 
Peter : " Unto thee will I give the keys of the 
kingdom of heaven, and whatsoever tliou slialfc 
bind on earth shall be bound in heaven ; and what- 
soever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in 
heaven." Matt. 16 : 19. The latter part of this 
language was afterwards repeated to the twelve 
(Matt. 18 : 18 ; also John 20 : 23). These apostles, 
however, were but men, and might, if left to them- 
selves, be influenced, like other men, to introduce 
worldly wisdom into the truth of God. That this 
might not be done, but that they might be fur- 
nished with the truth, and that the world through 
them might have a perfect rule of faith and prac- 
tice, Jesus promised to send to them the Holy 
Spirit. "And I will pray the Father, and he shall 
give you another Comforter, that he may abide 
with you forever ; even the Spirit of truth, whom 



152 TEXAS PULPIT. 

the world cannot receive, because it seeth Mm not, 
neither knoweth him: but ye know him, for he 
dwelleth with you and shall be in you/' John 
14 : 16, 17. In the 26th verse of the same chapter, 
we learn that "the Comforter is the Holy Spirit." 
Jesus, having finished his work on earth, 'began to 
speak of this salvation in the great commission 
given to the apostles after his resurrection (Matt* 
28 : 19, 20 ; Mark 16 : 15, 16 ; Luke 24 : 44-47). 

Having thus commanded them, we read further : 
''And being assembled together with them, com- 
manded them that they should not depart from 
Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father 
which, saith he, ye have heard of me. For John 
truly baptized with water, but ye shall be bap- 
tized with the Holy Spirit not many days hence. 
But ye shall receive power after that the Holy 
Spirit is come upon you ; and ye shall be witnesses 
unto me, both in Jerusalem, and in Judea, and in 
Samaria, and unto the uttermost parts of the 
earth." Acts 1 : 4, 5, 8. They were commanded 
to teach all nations ; to preach the gospel to every 
creature ; to baptize the taught, and to teach the 
baptized all things commanded them. But before 
they could do this, they must have power from on 
high, and they could not have this power until 
baptized with the Holy Spirit, according to the 
promise. In obedience to Jesus, they waited in 
the city of Jerusalem, the place of beginning (Luke 
24 : 47), and on the first Pentecost after his ascen- 



SALVATIOJS". 153 

sion, they received the Holy Spirit (Acts 2 : 4). 
JSTow the Savior had said, "And when he (the Holy 
Spirit) is come, he will convince the world of sin, 
of righteousness and of judgment. Of sin, because 
they believe not on me ; of righteousness, because 
I go to my Father; of judgment, because the 

prince of this world is judged He will 

guide you (apostles) into all truth. . . . He 
shall glorify me." John 16 : 7-15. "He shall 
teach you all things, and bring all things to your 
remembrance, whatsoever I have said to you." 
John 14: 26. "He shall testify of me." John 
15 : 26. All of these things were to be done whek 
he is come. Hence, we cannot go back of that 
time to find the things confirmed to us by the 
apostles in order to our salvation. The Holy 
Spirit was given to the apostles after the exalta- 
tion of Jesus (Acts 2: 33). For it is here an- 
nounced, for the first time in the history of the 
world, that Jesus is made both Lord and Christ 
(Acts 2 : 36). Now they are prepared to go to 
work, and as agents in the great scheme of salva- 
tion, preach the gospel, the power of God unto 
salvation. Paul says that, "After that in the wis- 
dom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, 
it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to 
save them that believe." I. Cor. 1 : 21. Here, 
then, we see how these agents, and means, or 
divine causes, are linked together. The grace of 
God moved him to send Jesus, his Son, into the 



154 TEXAS PULPIT. 

world ; Jesus procured salvation for man by shed- 
ding his blood, and making an offering as our 
High Priest in heaven ; and being appointed Lord 
of all, he sends the Holy Spirit to chosen men, the 
aposcles, that they may know the truth, and tlius 
teach the world. Tlie apostles began their work 
in Jerusalem, the appointed place, and preached 
the gospel with the Holy Spirit sent down from 
heaven (I. Peter 1 : 12). So far there is harmony, 
and any one not blinded by prejudice can see and 
understand how all of these agents working to- 
gether, each in their own sphere, have brought 
salvation to man. 

It now remains for us to show that the condi- 
tions above specified are required of man in order 
to the enjoyment of salvation. A great many per- 
sons look upon these conditions as arbitrary ap- 
pointments. But not so. Divine wisdom selected 
and appointed them because of tlieir peculiar fit- 
ness for accomplishing the end proposed — the sal- 
vation of man: A few scriptures will show the 
relation existing between each of these conditions 
and salvation. " For without faith it is impossi- 
ble to please him, for he that cometh to God must 
believe that he is, and that he is a re warder of 
them that diligently seek him." Heb. 11 : 6, John 
20: 30,31. An example of conversion given us 
in Acts 8 : 26-40, shows that we must believe with 
all the heart that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of 
God. Jesus said that '' repentance and remission 



SALVATIOIS". 155 

of sins should be preached in his name, among 
all nations, beginning at Jerusalem," Luke 24 : 47. 
It did begin there, and ever since that time, repen- 
tance has been preached as necessary to the remis- 
sion of sins. Paul sa,ys that " with the heart man 
believeth unto righteousness and with the mouth 
confession is made unto salvation." Rom. 10: 10. 
He tells us that this confession is to be made with 
the mouth ; that it is a part of the word of faith 
that they preached. It is not a confession of sin, 
nor a confession of something we think God has 
done for us, but a confession that Jesus is the 
Christ the Son of God. 

Jesus said, " Go preach the gospel to every crea- 
ture, he that believeth and is baptized shall be 
saved." Mark 16 : 15 , 16. Peter, speaking of the 
Holy Spirit, said to inquiring believers, "Repent 
and be baptized every one of you in the name of 
Jesus Christ, for the remission of sins, and ye 
shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit." Acts 2 : 
38. This same apostle, in alluding to the destruc- 
tion of the old world by water, and the salvation 
of Noah and his family, says, "the like figure 
whereunto even baptism doth also now save us 
(not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but 
the answer of a good conscience toward God) by 
the resurrection of Jesus Christ." I. Peter 3 : 21. 

These scriptures need no comment; they are 
plain, positive, and easily understood. It is nec- 
essary, however, to say something as to the order 



156 TEXAS PULPIT. 

in which these conditions occur. By order, I 
mean that arrangement of all the parts of a thing 
or law, so that there is a connected and harmoni- 
ous action between the means and the ends. If 
all the parts of a locomotive be arranged in due 
order, there is a harmonious working of the whole 
machine and a proper application of its power. 
Disarrange the parts, and you destroy the poioer of 
the machine. Some persons teach, very dogmati- 
cally, that repentance precedes faith, and that sal- 
vation precedes baptism. This is done in order 
to bolster up the old theory of justification by 
faith alone. Such partisans seize eagerly upon 
those passages in which repentance is mentioned 
before belief, as positive proof of the order in 
which they should be taught and obeyed. But 
when their attention is called to the fact that bap- 
tism is always mentioned before salvation, they 
seek to evade the force of their own law by false 
interpretations. Verily, the legs of the lame are 
not equal. 

It is a law of interpretation, well known to all 
scholars, that the order of words in a sentence, 
does not always determine the order of the events 
mentioned. Acts 10 : 39, where it is said they 
slew Jesus and hanged him upon a tree. Also, I. 
Tim. 3:16. We determine the order of events, by 
the context, parallel passages, and the natural and 
necessary relation they bear to each other. We 
learn that " without faith it is impossible to please 



SALVATION. 157 

God," and "whatsoever is not of faith is sin." Feb. 
11 : 6, and Rom. 14 : 23. Hence, a repentance that 
is not OF faith, is without faith, and would not 
"be accepted in the courts of heaven. Again, Paul 
says that " the goodness of God leadeth to repen- 
tance," Kom. 2 : 4, and " godly sorrow worketh 
repentance." II. Cor. 7: 10. It is evident that the 
leading and the icorMng precede repentance, 
hence, that which leads and works necessarily 
precedes repentance. But how^ can the goodness 
of God so affect a man as to lead him to repen- 
tance, unless he believes that God is a rewarder 
of those who diligently seek him ? And how can 
he believe in his goodness unless he hears of it ! 
and how can he hear without a preacher ? Rom. 
10 : 13-19. God's goodness in sending his Son 
into the world to save man, is preached by his 
chosen agents, the apostles, and man hears and 
believes. " Faith comes by hearing and hearing 
by the word of God." Rom. 10 : 17. Believing in 
Christ, he realizes his own lost condition, and he 
sorrows on account of his sins that separate him 
from God. This godly sorrow works in him re- 
pentance, or a change of will. Thus we see how 
beautifully God's system works and how perfectly 
adapted it is to the end designed. The will being 
changed, there must be the " fruits of repentance," 
Jesus, being a King, requires that all must confess 
him and obey his authority (Phil. 2 : 10,11). The 
believing penitent there makes confession with the 



158 TEXAS PULPIT. 

mouth, of the Lord Jesus, according to the divine 
appointment, and is then prepared to "be bap- 
tized for the remission of sins." Acts 2 : 38. In 
order to show that baptism precedes salvation I 
invite close attention to what follows. 

In Christ we are new creatures, old things have 
passed away (II. Cor. 5 : 17). There is no condem- 
nation to those in Christ, Rom. 8:1. Hence all IJS" 
Christ are saved. Now, we are not in Christ, until 
baptized into him, and if not in Christ we are not 
saved, hence, we are not saved until we are bap- 
tized. Paul says, (Rom. 6 : 2) that we are bap- 
tized into Jesus Christ; and again. Gal. 3: 27-29, 
"For ye are all the children of God by faith in 
Christ Jesus ; for as many of you as have been 
baptized' into Jesus Christ have put on Christ. 
There is neither Jew nor Greek ; there is neither 
bond nor free ; there is neither male nor female, 
for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. And if ye be 
Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed and heirs 
according to the promise." Are you heirs of God? 
If so, you are saved. But who are heirs of God ? 
All of Abraham's seed. Who are Abraham's 
seed? All who are Christ's. Who are Christ's? 
All who have put on Christ ? Who have put on 
Christ? "" As many of you as have been baptized 
into Christ, have put on Christ'^ Then those not 
baptized have not put on Christ, are not Christ's, 
are not heirs of God, are not pardoned." 

In conclusion, I appeal to the sinner to take this 



SALVATION. 159 

divine system, the gospel of Christ, as it is 
preached to us by the Holy Spirit sent down from 
heaven. Divine wisdom prepared it, and love 
gave it. The grace of God sent Jesus into the 
world ; Jesus procured salvation for man, by what 
he did, and places it within the reach of man by 
sending the Holy Spirit to the apostles, thus en- 
abling them to go into all the world and teach the 
truth as it is in Jesus. Through their preaching, 
men believe in Jesus ; this faith produces godly 
sorrow, which works repentance in man. The 
fruits of repentance manifest themselves immedi- 
ately in the confession of the Lord Jesus, and 
humble obedience to the institution of baptism 
" for the remission of sins." Being then an heir 
of God, he is saved (eternally) by hope. Hope 
inspires him to follow good works, and to refrain 
from those sinful practices which would destroy 
the soul. And as we journey on through a world 
of sin and trouble, and draw near to the verge of 
this life, the rays of Hope's bright star drive 
away the dark clouds that hover around the tomb, 
and animate the soul with cheering prospects of 
everlasting joys beyond. 



SERMON^ XIII. 

FAITH. 

By John A. Stevens. 

Text. — "N'ow faith is the substance of things hoped for, toe 
evidence of things not seen." — Heb. 11: 1. 

As to tlie importance of our subject, we will 
first quote a few passages of Scripture : — 

Heb. 11:6, makes the following positive affirma- 
tion : " For without faith it is impossible to please 
him, for he that cometh to God must believe that 
he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that dili- 
gently seek him." Again, " Whatsoever is not of 
faith is sin," and again, " He that believeth not 
shall 'be damned.'''' Such texts show the impor- 
tance God attaches to this subject. Faith is one 
of the most important items of the Bible. We 
find it presented in almost every part of the Old 
and ]^ew Testaments. And from a human stand- 
point, faith seems to be a necessity. All human 
beings move along in their wonted way, through 
their various spheres of existence propelled by a 
divinely constructed motor that we have denomi- 
nated '' faith." 

Childhood's early morning is lit up by an abid- 

160 



FAITH. 161 

ing faith in parental infallibility. The child be- 
lieves that its parents are perfect — Whence its imi- 
tations ; it takes what the parents give for food, 
never dreaming of an unwholesome effect. 

The young lady, moved by an abiding faith, 
which is the mother of love — devotion's companion 
— the sister of hope — steps under the marriage 
bell and pledges away her name, and her dear old 
home. Through the telescope of an unsuspecting 
faith she sees a bow of pleasure that spans the 
dark chasm of life, and throws a halo of light into 
the misty vault of death. 

Faith is the engine that drives the busy world, 
and keeps up the indescribable din of progress, 
civilization, science and religion. Faith is the 
vitalizing, energizing, moving element in all the 
realms of intelligent beings. As we expect to 
notice this part of our subject again, we will now 
consider the 

DEFINITION OF FAITH. 

Our text, Heb. 11 : 1, gives the only definition of 

faith found in Holy Writ, we must acknowledge 

that this definition needs defining. The text says, 

'' Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, 

the evidence of things not seen." The word 

" substance " comes from two words, one the latin 

prefix " sub," which always means under, and 

" sto," to stand ; and hence Paul meant to teach 

that faith is the " sub-sto," or in other words, that 
11 



162 TEXAS PULPIT. 

which stands under something, and that some- 
thing he called " things hoped for." He closes 
the sentence by saying, that faith is the " evidenee 
of things not seen." Now it is evident that, 
"things hoped for" and "things not seen" are 
synonymous, and mean nothing more nor less than 
the resurrection of the' dead and the eternal 
felicity of the soul. So faith is the foundation of 
our hopes, and the guiding star that leads to our 
eternal reward, "And the evidence of things not 
seen ; " all that we know of Grod, heaven or hell, 
we received from testimony and evidence. 

Upon the dusky horizon of faith we can see the 
spectres of death and the angels of life vieing 
together in all their native antipathy. To explain 
the unknown, we must get aboard the ship of 
faith, hoist imagination for a main-sail, inscribe 
" Gonfidence " upon her floating banners, and let 
the mad storms of enthusiasm sweep us into in- 
finity's dreamy unknown. An intrepid imagina- 
tion built upon a tottering faith, has no bounds \ 
but a firm belief in the word of God is imagina- 
tion's ballast. A firm, unwavering faith in the 
Lord Jesus Christ, produced by the infallible 
testimony of the apostles and prophets, and the 
life and miracles of Christ himself, is the " sub- 
stance^^ — the foundation of our hopes, and the 
evidence of our acceptance with God. "An evi- 
dence of things not seen," a compass that guides 
us along the labyrinthian corridors of life's tern- 



FAITH. 163 

pies, and finally flashes into a light that robs the 
tomb of its darkness, and transports us upon 
ether's wings to the battlemented walls and blaz- 
ing gates of the eternal city. 

FAITH CLASSIFIED. 

Much has been said concerning the different 
classes of faith, but in this connection we shall be 
brief. In the first place, man has but one mind 
with which to believe, and in fact, so far as the 
man who does the believing is concerned, all faith 
is the same. The different objects of faith have 
brought about the idea of different kinds of faith. 
To illustrate, I believe as firmly in the fact that 
George Washington lived and died, as I do in the 
fact that Christ lived and died. My faith is alike 
firm in both cases. Now, where is the difference 
in the faith ? The only difference is in the objects 
of my faith. When Washington is the object of 
my faith, the faith is hwman^ because the testi- 
mony concerning Washington is liuman testimony. 
When Christ is the object, my faith is dlmne^ 
because the testimony concerning Christ is dimiie 
testimony. Faith is a child of testimony and is 
exactly like its parent. Preachers sometimes talk 
of the " different qualities of faith," such as his- 
torical faith, evangelical faith, justifying faith, 
saving faith, etc. What is divine historical faith? 



164 TEXAS PULPIT. 

It is faith in Christ, derived from the gospel, after 
the gospel became a matter of history. 

What is divine evangelical faith ? It is faith in 
Christ derived from the gospel, either before or 
after it became a matter of history. What does 
the word evangelical mean ? It means gospel. 
What is the difference between historical and 
evangelical faith ? No difference at all. 

What is justifying faith? There is no such 
thing; justifying faith is a phantom — a ghost. 
God is the justifier. But does not Paul say (Rom. 
5 : 1), '' We are justified by faith ? " Yes, but we 
cannot take that as literally true without erecting 
a throne and deifjdng faith. Grod is the justifier. 
We are justified by faith in the sense of God 
justifying us through faith. What is saving 
faith ? It is faith that saves ; it is faith that leads 
a man in the path of duty, and keeps him within 
the range of God's power and promises to save. 
Then what is the difference between historical, 
evangelical, justifying and saving faith ? No dif- 
ference wliateoer. All efforts to make them 
differ are efforts to muddy the water, to make it 
look deep — to darken council. What about head 
faith and heart faith ? I don't know. God draws 
no line between a man's head and heart, and I 
shall not undertake it, since neither can believe 
after being dissevered. Such terms as 'Miead 
faith " and " head religion " are generally used as 
a stigma to humiliate some individual or some 



FAITH. 165 

religious body, and should be put out of use by 
silent contempt. Such terms were coined in 
vacant minds — " the devil's workshops," and are 
only used in the absence of weightier matter. 

When a man believes in, loves and obeys the 
Lord Jesus Christ all of his life, and comes to the 
happy hour of death, he will hardly stop to ask 
the theologians what kind of faith his is. These 
theological technicalities and high sounding terms 
are put upon God's simple truths to make their 
study look more professional. They are placed 
there by preachers for the same purpose that 
Latin labels are placed upon the drug bottles — 
(to protect the drug business from the invasion of 
the common people). My doctrine is to leave off 
the theological labels and let the common people 
have access to the gospel. 

Are faith and belief the same ? It is sufficient 
just here to say that both terms — faith and belief 
— are translated from the same word in the orig- 
inal {pistis ) and they cannot be otherwise than 
the same ; besides, they are used interchangeably 
from Genesis to Revelation. While euphony cries 
out for both words, logic would be content with 
simply the word * belief.' If a man is a faithful 
man, we never call his belief in question, and if he 
is a true believer we never question his faith. 
Still, much confusion has grown out of this eupho- 
nious commodity. A certain lady had been agon- 
izing at an ' anxious seat ' for eight' days without 



166 TEXAS PULPIT. 

relief, a Cliristian preacher being present asks the 
privilege of going into the altar and interviewing 
this tear-bathed, prostrated seeker after peace. 
The privilege was joyfully granted with these 
words, " Yes, go and talk to her, amen ! God bless 
you ! another soul ready to go into the altar and 
work for a deepening of grace. Thank God ! All 
denominations are coming, oh, Holy Ghost ! Come 
and baptize us now." Here the workers heave an 
"Amen ! bless G^d!" Our Christian brother walks 
down to where the lady is kneeling, and begins, 
"My dear friend, what would you give for faith in 
Mahommed?" She readily answers, " Sir, I w^ould 
not give any thing." "Why not?" "Because I 
believe that Mahommed was an imposter." " Well, 
what would you give for faith in Christ !" " Oh ! 
I w^ould give the world for faith in Christ." " Why 
would you give so much for faith in Christ ? " 
"Because I believe that he is my Lord and my 
Savior." This poor creature was a subject of the 
above mentioned delusions. She had more faith 
than the preacher who called her to the altar, and 
was ignorant of the fact. She would give any- 
thing for that which she already possessed. I will 
close this part of my argument, for I believe that 
everybody but a few hair-splitting D. D.'s have 
found out that faith and belief mean the same. 
We will next notice — 



FAITH. 167 

. HOW WE GET THIS EAITH. 

Suffice it to say (1st) that no man ever believed 
in Christ without coming in contact with words, 
and (2d) that, no man ever believed without a pro- 
position to believe, and (3d), no man ever believed 
otherwise than through the medium of testimony 
addressed to the reason. No man ever believed 
the gospel who never heard the gospel. No man 
ever believed in Christ who never heard of Christ. 
In apostolic days the people who believed and 
turned to Christ always came in contact with the 
preaching of the gospel. The ancient preachers 
preached Christ unto the people, they heard, be- 
lieved, obeyed and were saved. In support of 
this, I will not quote a dozen texts, and thus insult 
God by leaving the impression that he has to 
repeat a thing a dozen times to make it true. 
Please mark the following : John 4 : 39-41 ; Acts 
14 : 1 ; Acts 2 : 36 ; John 20 : 30 , 31 ; Acts 18:8; 
Rom. 10 : 14-17. These passages show that faith 
is a simple tangible thing that has to do with rea- 
son ; it is not the mere dreams and fancies of men. 

We next ask — 

WHAT MUST A MAN BELIEVE? 

In regard to this question, we will say that it is 
not the mere act of eating that perpetuates life — if 
it was, to eat saw-dust would be sufficient. Hence 



168 TEXAS PULPIT. 

life does not depend upon the mere act, of eatings 
but upon what we eat. 

Likewise, our salvation does not depend upon 
the mere act of believing, but on wliat we believe. 
The great proposition in the Bible to be believed 
is, that, " Jesus Christ is God's Son." John says,, 
"Many other signs truly did Jesus in the pres- 
ence of his disciples which are not written in this 
book, but these are written that ye might believe 
that Jesus is the Clirist^ the Soi- of God, and that 
belie^nng, ye might have life through his name." 
And just here I want to add, that a mere acknowl- 
edgement of, or assent to the existence of God and,, 
Jesus Christ, his Son, is not all that God requires,, 
for in Heb. 11: 6, we tind this language, "But 
without faith it is impossible to please him (God), 
for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, 
and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently 
seek him." In this language we find that we are 
not only to believe in the existence of God, but 
must also believe that "he is a rewarder of them 
that diligently seek him." Love begets love, and 
we must believe in God as our loving heavenly 
Father, as our Reioarder. John says, I. John 4 r 
19, " We love him because he first loved us." 
Hence, the selfishness of mankind requires a belief 
in God's love toward us. So let us not be such 
sticklers for " simple faith in Christ " as to leave 
God partly or wholly out of our religion. God 
loves the world and every sinner in it not a* whit 



FAITH. 169 

less, having sent Ms Son into the world to die for 
it. The salvation of our souls depends upon a sole 
reliance upon God, through an implicit faith in, 
and a willing obedience to the Lord Jesus Christy 
our Sacrifice, Savior and Advocate. 

My dear reader, this faith, this reliance upon 
God, this religion, if you will accept ifc and prac- 
tice it, will throw a gleam of light all along the 
shaded pathway of your life, and cause a halo of 
glory to encircle your grave, that will attract the 
angels from the sparkling dome of heaven. God 
help you to so live, and so die, that the resurrec- 
tion morning will find you ready and waiting to be 
borne upon seraphic pinions through the trackless 
ether to mansions where faith will have served its 
purpose and developed into actual knowledge, and 
hope will have been swallowed up in glad fruition. 

'* My Father's house on high! 
Home of my soul! how near! 
At times, to Faith's inspiring eye, 
Thy golden gates appear! 
Ah! then my sjjirit pants 
To reach the land I love, 
The bright inheritance of saints, 
Jerusalem above. 

Yet doubts still intervene, 

And all my comfort Hies; 

Like Noah's dove I fly between 

Rough seas and stormy skies; 

Anon the clouds depart — 

The winds and waters cease. 

While sweetly, o'er my gladdened heart, 

Expands the bow of peace!" 



SEEMOisr xiy. 

REPENTANCE, 

By W. L. Harrison. 

Text. — "And that repentance and remission of sins should 
be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at 
Jerusalem." — ^Luke 24 : 47. 

ITo subject, perhaps, connected with the future 
and final destiny of our sinful and condemned 
race, is of more vital importance, than the subject 
we propose to treat, briefly, in this discourse. I 
would to God that all, saints and sinners, could 
realize its importance. 

The alien sinner can never enter the church of 
Christ, find pardon, peace and joy in the Holy 
Spirit, or have the fellowship of the children of 
Ood, without repentance. 

The child of God, however close to the cross he 
may cling in this life, beset by snares and the 
machinations of the enemy of souls, may some- 
times wander from the path of duty — commit sin. 
To get forgiveness, and retain the favor of God 
and the fellowship of the saints, he needs repent- 
ance. All religious parties, all religious teachers, 
all who regard the Bible as a divine book, will 
concede its importance. 

170 



EEPENTAIfCE. 171 

When John the Baptist came as the herald of 
the long-promised Messiah, to prepare a people for 
his reception, he fonnd the chosen people of God 
steeped in wickedness — disregarding his counsels, 
scorning his reproofs, turning a deaf ear to all his 
entreaties. He was therefore sent Ibj divine au- 
thority with the message : "Repent, for the king- 
dom of heaven is at hand." 

When Messiah came and entered on the work 
his Father had given him to do, he preached to 
this same people, "Repent, for the kingdom of 
heaven is at hand." 

Jesus called the twelve and sent them out to 
preach repentance to the people. He also said, 
" Unless you repent you shall all likewise perish." 
When the twelve apostles were no longer to be 
confined to the narrow limits of Judea, or circum- 
scribed by geographical boundaries, nor to recog- 
nize national distinctions, they were authorized to 
pjreach to all nations, " repentance and remission 
of sins." 

In carrying out the great commission, the apos- 
tle Peter — to whom was entrusted the Keys of the 
Kingdom — empowered by the promised Spirit to 
guide him into all truth, commanded believers to 
" repent . . . for the remission of sins." 

The great apostle to the Gentiles, testified to 
Jews and Greeks the necessity of repentance ; and 
in his discourse at Athens, he said : " God now 
commands all men everywhere to repent." Surely 



172 TEXAS PULPIT. 

these Scriptures ought to impress us all, not only 
with the necessity^ but with the universality of 
repentance. 

We shall first consider the question negatively, 
enumerating a few things in which repentance 
does not consist — neither in whole nor in part. 
And then we shall inquire what it is, in what it 
does consist, and how produced, treating the sub- 
ject positively. 

I. What is not repentance? 

(a) It is 710^ something "given" or "granted'* 
directly to man. It is nothing mysterious, but the 
result of means used in harmony with man's men- 
tal constitution. It is man's work — something he 
can and ought to do. While Paul, by divine 
authority, says, ''all men are commanded to re- 
pent," it would be useless to make an argument 
to prove that he can and ought to do it — whatever 
it may be. True, God has ordained the means to 
bring sinners to repentance, and in this sense we 
may say that he "gives" or "grants" it, just as 
we may say that he "gives" us our daily bread. 
Peter told the inq'airers (Acts 2 : 38) to repent; he 
did not ask God to give them repentance, seeing 
that the means was being used that he had or- 
dained. 

(b) It is 7iot a reformation of life. 

Luke 17 : 3, 4 : "If thy brother trespass against 
thee seven times in a day, and seven times in a 
day turn again to thee, saying, I repent, thou shalt 



EEPE]SrTAN-CE. 173 

forgive Mm." A man can, therefore, repent serpen 
times a day ; but can he reform that often? John 
the Baptist makes a very clear distinction between 
repentance and reformation, in requiring the Jews 
to bring forth fruits meet for repentance. Re- 
pentance with him is the tree^ while reformation 
(^. e., the actions and deeds that constitute a 
reformed life) is the fruit. With John, then, we 
conclude that reformation is no more repentance 
than the fruit which grows on the tree is the tree 
itself. 

(c) It is not a godly sorrow for sin. 

We not unfrequently meet with church members, 
and even preachers, who thus define it ; and if 
asked for proof, strange to say, you are referred to 
a passage that proves very clearly the reverse — 
II. Cor. 7: 9, 10 — read it carefully, and you will 
agree with me that ''godly sorrow" goes before 
repentance. Not only does it precede it, but it 
"worketh," "produceth," bringeth about repent- 
ance, or is at least a factor in its production. The 
thing working, or producing a thing cannot be tlie 
tiling worked or produced. We say railroads have 
worked a great change in Texas; cities have 
sprung up as if by magic, almost; farm-houses 
now dot the broad prairies, as far as the eye can 
reach; goods are now transported by the iron 
horse, instead of on ox-wagons drawn by a team of 
Texas long-horns. But is this great change a 
railroad f No. In point of time the railroad was 



174 TEXAS PULPIT. 

built first, operated first, then comes the change. 
So, in point of time, godly sorrow comes first, then 
repentance follows. And I will here add, that 
where there is no godlj sorrow for sin, there will 
no repentance follow ; and if there be not a refor- 
mation of life, no repentance has preceded. 

(d) K'either does repentance consist in worldly 
sorrow. The apostle informs us, in this same con- 
nection, that ''^the sorrow of the world worketh 
death." We certainly may not conclude that that 
which " worketh death " is any part of repentance 
unto life. 

(e) Then we submit that repentance does not 
consist of sorrow at all. Sorrow is not an integral 
part; not a constituent element in it. All sor- 
row either grows out of a consideration of our 
relationship to God, our duty to him, reverence for 
him and his authority, or from a worldly consid- 
eration. There can be no sorrow but "" godly " or 
"worldly" sorrow. It is therefore not sorrow at 
all. 

(f) Once more, let us present the Icnottiest not 
of all for the consideration of some of our religious 
neighbors. It does not consist in whole, nor in 
part, of tears, prayers, moans, groans or cries. 
JS'either are any or all of these necessary to its 
production. The idea of God's being induced by 
any of these things to "grant" repentance, faith, 
or the pardon of sins to the alien sinner, is foreign 
to Bible teaching. Most persons who go to 



EEPENTANCE. 175 

" the altar of prayer " seeking, earnestly seeking^ 
the pardon of their sins, are already believing 
penitents, and if they had an Ananias, as Saul 
had, for an instructor, they would hear, " Why 
tarriest thou? Arise and be baptized and wash 
away your sins." Peter said, '' Repent," etc. 
"Then they that gladly received his word were 
baptized." Repentance is not antagonistic to 
gladness, though produced by godly sorrow. But 
attention must now be given to the positive side of 
this question : 

n. What is repentance ? How produced ? 

Let us call to mind, that, from an examination 
of Paul's statement in II. Cor. 7: 10, we learned 
that "godly sorrow for sin" is antecedent to re- 
pentance. Their sorrow was a godly sorrow for 
sin, and they sorrowed "to repentance." No 
godly sorrow for sin — no repentance; whatever 
produces this sorrow for sin, is a factor, a means 
in the production of repentance; whatever pro- 
duces this sorrow tends to bring persons to repent- 
ance. 

We also call to mind that we learned from Luke 
3 : 8, and other Scriptures, that reformation of life 
followed repentance — was the fruit of it. Then 
it is settled that repentance, to be scriptural, must 
be preceded by a godly sorrow for sin, and fol- 
lowed by reformation. Now, if we can find what 
naturally and universally comes hetween these 
two things, we have found what repentance is. 



176 TEXAS PULPIT. 

Let us see. Paul declares (Rom. 1 : 16) that the 
"gospel is the power of God unto salvation." This 
gospel is preached — the sinner feels and realizes 
that he is a poor, lost sinner, while Christ is 
held up as an all-sufficient Savior, as having made 
ample provision for every son and daughter of 
Adam's guilty race, as extending to him a precious 
invitation, " Come unto me all ye ends of the earth, 
and be ye saved." That he manifests the same 
love and compassion for sinners now that he did 
while in the flesh, for the inhabitants of Jerusa- 
lem, when he wept over that doomed city, saying, 
^' Oh, Jerusalem, Jerusalem ! how oft would I have 
gathered you together, but you would not." 

Hearing this gospel call, the sinner is brought 
to reflect on his past rebellious life ; — to meditate 
on God's goodness. He says, " God is, indeed, 
love." " I have gone, all these years past, counter 
to his will as expressed in the perfect law of lib- 
erty, yet my pathway has been strewn with bless- 
ings, while such rich provisions have been made 
for my eternal salvation, even costing the blood of 
his only begotten Son." " All of my past life is a 
life of disobedience, I have persistently withheld 
from him that obedience, that worship, which is 
his due. My obligations to God are infinitely 
greater than to my fellows — yet I have tried to 
discharge these, while I have lived in utter disre- 
gard of those. I am truly sorry that I have mani- 
fested such ingratitude." God's goodness is lead- 



REPENTANCE. 177 

ing that sinner to repentance — has already led 
him as far as godly sorrow — which works repent- 
ance. Now, observe what comes next. The sin- 
ner says from the depth of his heart, " I will not 
continue thus in disobedience — I will^ God being 
my helper, cease to do what is forbidden, and 
strive to do what is commanded." He has changed 
Ms will^ resolved to change his future course of 
conduct in reference to God and his government ; 
he has changed his will. And this was preceded 
by godly sorroio. Succeeded by what? By a 
reformation or different course of conduct. He 
embraces the first opportunity to confess Christ 
(Rom. 10 : 9, 10). Wow, " gladly receiving the 
words " of the inspired teachers, he submits to the 
authority of Christ in baptism, breaks off from 
evil associations and practices, seeks the associa- 
tion of the disciples of Christ, meets them on the 
first day of the week to break bread, and to study 
the things that pertain to the kingdom of God. 
Thus, he has been led, by a contemplation of God's 
goodness, to a godly sorrow for sin. This leads 
him to a change of will, purpose or determination 
to forsake sin and obey the Lord — genuine repent- 
ance ; thic carried out is reformation, i.e., ''the 
fruits of repentance." Up the line, we have no 
reformation, or life in conformity to God's will, 
where there is no repentance ; no repentance where 
there is no godly sorrow, no godly sorrow where 
the goodness of God is not unfolded, where the 

13 



178 TEXAS PULPIT. 

story of the cross is not told. " The gospel is the 
power of God unto salvation." Millions have 
never heard the glad news of a risen savior, have 
never had the gospel. Will we, dear Christian 
brethren, be guiltless, if we strive not all to the 
extent of our ability to send them the gospel, that 
their hearts may be filled with godly sorrow for 
sin, and thus brought to repentance ? Remember^ 
Jesus says: ''Unless you repent you shall all 
likewise perish." And, also, " Go preach the gos- 
pel to every creature." This is binding on all. 
Oh, how we ought to be enthused with the mis- 
sionary spirit ! How our hearts ought to burn with 
zeal, and our hands labor that all may hear the 
gospel call! I pray God that the church may 
awake to the full realization of the fact that the 
gospel is the power of God into salvation. Hav- 
ing thus seen what repentance is, and how pro- 
duced, we will now say a few words in reference to 
the order, or place of repentance in the scheme of 
salvation. 

From Mark 1 : 15, " Repent ye, and believe the 
gospel," and kindred passages, many have con- 
cluded that repentance precedes faith. From this 
we dissent. It is admitted by all that it is not 
possible to repent without some kind or degree of 
faith. But those who would place repentance first, 
tell us this is historic faith, or a knowledge of God 
and his requirements obtained from history. To 
this we reply by referring to Paul's declaration 



EEPENTANCE. 179 

(Epli. 4 : 5), " There is one faith. ^^ If there is a 
historic faith that precedes, and one that follows 
repentance, that would be two, and we can as well 
conclude that there are two bodies, two Lords, etc. 
Faith and repentance are mental actions, and it is 
contrary to man's mental constitution for him to 
repent first. The language quoted from Mark 
(and all such expressions), was spoken to persons 
already in covenant relation with God. They 
were his chosen people, but had wandered away, 
sinned, hence, were commanded to repent. They 
already had faith in God, towards whom their 
repentance was directed, but then they were re- 
quired to believe the good news of the coming 
kingdom, " the gospel of the kingdom." ]N"ot the 
same gospel that sinners are now required to be- 
lieve. The Christian who transgresses the law of 
Christ is required to repent, not to believe (See 
Acts 8 : 22). 

When Paul says, (Acts 20 : 21), " That he testi- 
fied to Jews and Greeks repentance toward God 
and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ," he 
evidently means, that he so testified to those 
Greeks, who had been proselyted to the Jewish 
faith, and hence frequented the Jewish Synagogue, 
where Paul preached, and were believers in God. 
Examine the preaching of the apostles under the 
world-wide and age-long commission, and see 
where they placed it. Peter, standing up an- 
nounced a risen, ascended Savior, and that " God 



180 TEXAS PULPIT. 

had made Mm both Lord and Christ." Did his 
hearers believe it? Certainly. Then Peter said, 
"Repent and be baptized for the remission of 
sins." Thus he taught believers to repent. 

Paul says, Heb. 11 : 6, " Without faith it is 
impossible to please God." Were it possible for 
a man to repent before faith, it would not please 
God. Again, Rom. 14 : 23, " Whatsoever is not of 
faith is sin." It would be sinful to repent without 
faith. He lays down here a principle universal in 
its application. 

We may not urge the order of words in a sen- 
tence, as proof that repentance comes before faith. 
This would be a fallacious course of reasoning 
When two actions are described, the order of 
words indicating the actions, prove nothing in ref- 
erence to the order of occurrence. As proof of our 
position, examine Acts 5: 30. Here Paul says, 
"Whom ye slew and hanged on a tree." Was 
Christ first slain and then lianged on the tree? 
Again, Paul says, Rom. 10 : 9, " If thou shalt con- 
fess with the mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt 
believe in thine heart that God hath raised him 
from the dead, thou shalt be saved." Do we con- 
fess Christ, before we believe that God raised him 
from the dead? This same apostle says, " he was 
declared to be the Son of God, by his resurrection 
from the dead," Rom. 1 : 4. Surely we must 
believe the declaration before we make the confes- 
sion. We also cite II. Thess. 2:13. Here sancti- 



REPENT AN CE. 181 

fication by the Spirit is placed before faith. 

But, in conclusion : Why does God require the 
sinner to repent ? We do not view repentance as 
a mere arbitrary mandate, born of tyranny ; but 
as a necessity^ rather, growing out of the relation- 
ship existing between the offender and the offen- 
ded. It is not possible, owing to man's nature and 
capabilities, for God to forgive him while impeni- 
tent. If so, by the act of forgiveness, he would 
offer a premium for impenitence. If God could 
forgive one impenitent sinner, he could forgive all, 
regardless of their status. Even the angels that 
sinned need not to have been cast down to hell, 
and held in chains, till the judgment. There is a 
reason for every step the sinner is required to take 
in coming to Christ, God did nothing in the crea- 
tion and organization of the physical universe 
without a reason. Neither does he require of the 
sinner less or more than the exigency of the case 
demands. God proposes to save the sinner in 
harmony with his mental organization — without 
violating the laws of his nature. Hence, he comes 
to him in the gospel, as he is, sin defiled, and 
rebellious, and demands only what is necessary; 
for him to change his attitude, cease to rebel 
against his authority, and he will pardon him, 
place him on the road to holiness, which is the 
only road to absolute happiness. This he can 
never do without repentance. The gospel scheme 
is the result of Infinite Wisdom. It was born of 



182 TEXAS PULPIT. 

Infinite Love. To say it is not the best that could 
be done for our sinful race, is to impeach the 
Divine Wisdom. Faith is the basic principle on 
which repentance rests. All intelligent obedience 
flows from faith, hence, its necessity as an antece- 
dent to repentance. Wonderful condescension 
this, that God proposes in our salvation to consult 
our volition ! Oh, sinner ! Will you be saved on 
God's terms ? If so, accept Christ, believe on him, 
" Repent and be baptized for the remission of sins." 



SERMON XV. 

THE GOOD CONFESSION. 

By L. B. Grogan. 

Text. — "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord 
Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God has raised him 
from the dead, thou shalt be saved." Rom. 10 : 9. 

That the confession of faith in Christ, as one of 
the prerequisites for baptism, is one of the distin- 
guishing features of the people claiming the Bible 
only for their rule of faith and practice, will hardly 
be denied. The examination of some of the scrip- 
tural evidences upon which the claims for this 
practice are based, will be the object of this dis- 
course. 

We call the attention of the reader to the con- 
sideration of the question : 

I. Should there be confession of any kind de- 
manded of man as a prerequisite for baptism ? 

That some kind of a confession should be de- 
manded of candidates for baptism and membership 
in the church of Christ, is argued from the fact : 

(1). That all Christendom demands a confession 
or statement of some kind from a candidate for 
baptism, before he can be admitted to that ordi- 

183 



184 TEXAS PULPIT. 

nance. Let a person apply to any of the current 
denominations for baptism and membership in 
their body, and he will have to make some kind of 
a statement, or relate some kind of an experience, 
before he can be admitted. 

(2). History stands as a nnit that the ancient 
churches, as well as those of the middle ages and 
modern times, demanded a statement of some 
kind, before baptism could be administered. Dif- 
ferent ages, different sections of country, as well 
as different sects, have used different statements or 
confessions. But all agreed that something of the 
kind must be made. 

(3). Christ demanded it, ''Whosoever shall con- 
fess me before men, him will I confess before my 
Father which is in heaven," Matt. 10 : 33. Peter 
confessed him, Matt. 16 : 16, " Thou art the Christ 
the Son of the living God," for which Christ pro- 
nounced a blessing. 

(4). The apostles enjoined it. Paul said to 
Timothy, Tim. 6 : 12, Revised version, " and didst 
confess the good confession before many wit- 
nesses ." The apostle here states very clearly 
that he had received a confession of some kind^ 
called the good confession. R,om. 10 : 10, " Confes- 
sion is made." Phil. 2: 10,11, "Every knee shall 
bow, and every tongue shall confess." From 
these scriptures, with many others that might 
be adduced, it is very clear that there was a con- 



THE GOOD CONFESSION. 185 

fession taught and practiced by the apostles and 
primitive Christians. 

II. What kind of a confession should be de- 
manded before baptism ? 

Before entering upon a scriptural investigation 
of the subject, we wish to lay down the general 
principle, that every institution has a central 
thought, around which all others cluster, and 
which constitutes the fundamental principle upon 
which its very existence depends. The central 
thought or fundamental principle of our republi- 
can government is expressed in the few words, 
"All men are born free and equal." Upon this 
rests the whole structure of a republican form of 
government. All features that enter into the 
structure of such a government branch out from 
this one great central truth. 

On the other hand, monarchies are based on a 
principle expressed in equally as few words, which 
are these, " Kings rule by divine right.*' This 
forms the basis of all monarchy. Destroy this 
principle in the minds of the king's subjects, and 
they will arise in open rebellion. 

As it is with government, so it is with other in- 
stitutions, the church of Christ forming no excep- 
tion to the rule. Kow comes the inquiry, what is 
the central truth that stands as the fundamental 
principle of the religion of the blessed Lord? 
When Peter made the noble confession, '' Thou art 
the Christ, the Son of the living God," Jesus 



186 TEXAS PULPIT. 

responded to him, " Blessed art thou, Simon Bar- 
Jona : for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto 
thee, but my Father which is in heaven. And I 
say also unto thee that thou art Peter, and upon 
this rock I will build my church, and the gates of 
liell shall not prevail against it." In this state- 
ment there can be but one question of importance, 
and that is concerning the use of the two words 
" Petros " and '' petra " the former of which is ren- 
dered " Peter, " and the latter, " rock." 

It is argued by some that Jesus meant to build 
his church upon Peter. ]S'ow, the absurdity of 
such an idea seems almost too apparent to de- 
mand argument against it ; for the idea of the Sa- 
vior of the world building a saving institution 
upon a frail, erring man, is not reasonable ; and 
Peter was only a man, and possessed of human 
weaknesses, as other men. Again, '' Petros ^^ is 
masculine gender, while " petra " is feminine, and 
therefore, they must refer to different things. But 
in Peter's words, "Thou art the Christ, the Son of 
the living God," is embodied the grand central 
truth of Christianity, the Messiahship and Son- 
ship of Jesus. In this grand truth, rests the very 
vitality of Christianity. Destroy faith in it, and 
the church can exist no longer. Its members 
would be infidels, and men would cease to enter it. 
This brings us to faith in the Sonship of the Christ, 
at the very threshold of church membership. 
Without this faith, no one can become a member of 



THE GOOD COI^FESSIOIT. 187 

Christ's cliurcli, or be pardoned. "Without faith 
it is impossible to please him." Heb. 11 : 6. " For 
O-od so loved the world that he gave his only be- 
gotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should 
not perish, but have everlasting life," John 3: 16. 
^' Go, preach the gospel to every creature ; he that 
believeth and is baptized shall be saved ; but he 
that believeth not shall be damned," Mark 16 : 15- 
16. " But these are written that you might believe 
that Jesus is the Christ the Son of Grod, and that 
believing you might have life through his name," 
John 20 :-31. " From these scriptures, the fact is 
thoroughly established that salvation can only be 
claimed by believers in the Sonship of Christ, 
" That Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living 
God," is the thing to be believed, and any confes- 
sion that is not co-extensive with this, is, at least 
wanting in some of its parts; constituting the faith 
of the heart, it must also constitute the language 
thereof. 

No man is authorized by the scriptures to bap- 
tize a candidate without faith. This soul subdu- 
ing, central truth, this fundamental fact, constitut- 
ing the foundation stone upon which Christ said he 
would build his church, must be implanted in the 
heart, to kill it to sin, and quicken it into the 
desire for a better life, before man can properly be 
buried with his Master beneath the yielding wave, 
leaving the world and sin behind, and arising into 
a new life. The wisdom of the Savior is manifest in 



188 TEXAS PULPIT. 

his having instituted the confession of our faith in 
Christ as a medium through which the administra- 
tor of haptism may know that the necessary prep- 
aration of the heart has been accomplished. I can 
know what is in the heart of man by what comes 
out. "Out of the abundance of the heart the 
mouth speaketh." There is, then, a true philos- 
ophy underlying the reason of the confession. In 
further developing the nature of the confession, we 
will at the same time, call attention, to 

III. How the confession must be made. 

It is not enough to say the man must confess 
Christ in his every-day life. True, man's daily 
walk is a very good index to the thoughts and 
intents of the heart, but the Lord demands more 
than this. He declared that, "Whosoever con- 
fesses me before men, him will I confess before my 
Father which is in heaven ; but whosoever denies 
me before men, him will I deny before my Father 
which is in heaven." Matt. 10 : 32, 33. In this 
language, he has laid down the general principle of 
the confession. It must be an open confession in 
language, as we will see by further investigation. 
For the second time since the worlds were framed 
by the word of God, Jehovah deigns to make his 
presence known, to the multitude assembled on 
the shores of Jordan, by speaking forth in audible 
language, as Jesus came up out of the baptismal 
waters (Matt. 3 : 17), " this is my beloved Son in 
whom I am well pleased." Following this thought, 



THE GOOD CONJFESSIOIS'. 189 

we find it repeated on the Mount of Transfigur- 
ation ; bj Martha, at the tomb of Lazarus, and by 
Peter, as quoted above. All these confessions 
were simple statements of the one grand central 
idea of Christianity. Thus was the grand essen- 
tial principle of Christian life and character well 
laid in the days of Jesus' sojourn on earth, in the 
unmistakable language of the Father, the Son (be- 
fore Pilate), Peter, and Martha. 

It now remains for us to examine the teachings 
of the apostles to ascQrtain whether they enjoined 
it upon their converts. 

We have seen above, by quotations from Paul to 
Timothy, to the Romans, and to the Philippians, 
that a confession was demanded. At the same 
time Paul tells Timothy that he had made it be- 
fore many witnesses, he tells us, in Rom. 10 : 10, 
that "with the mouth confession is made." In 
Acts 8 : 37, we have an illustration of the confes- 
sion — the familiar case of Philip and the eunuch. 
This verse, though not in the text of the Revised 
Version, is placed in the margin, with the state- 
ment that some of the most ancient authorities in- 
sert it, wholly or in part. If it is an interpolation 
(as some contend), it found its way into the manu- 
script at a very early day, for it was known to 
Irenseus as early as A. D. 170, and we have no 
manuscript copy of the New Testament bearing as 
old a date as that. From this, with other reasons, 
we are forced to the conclusion that its being 



190 TEXAS PULPIT. 

wanting in some of the manuscripts, is very weak 
evidence on which to reject it. 

Again, the narrative is incomplete without it. 
Bat we have all the evidence needed, besides it, to 
establish the nature and use of the confession. 

We think it has been very clearly shown, (1) 
that a confession of some kind is demanded of 
every one who would become a member of 
Christ's church. (2) That the confession that Jesus 
is the Christ, the Son of the living God, is the con 
fession to be made. (3) That it is to be made in 
language, either spoken or written. (4) That it 
precedes baptism. (5) By reference to the lan- 
guage of Paul to Timothy (I. Tim. 6 : 12), and to 
the Romans (Rom. 10 : 10), with other Scriptures 
quoted above, it may be seen that it is one of the 
conditions of salvation, and serves as a connecting 
link between a believing penitent heart and bap- 
tism. 

To this array of evidences, we would like to add 
some historical evidences, but must be content 
with only one or two references. Mosheim says : 
"Whoever acknowledged Christ as the Savior of 
mankind, and made a solemn profession of his 
confidence in him, was immediately baptized and 
received into the church '* {Maclain's MosTieim, 
First Century, page 38). On page 42, chapter 3, 
we have a similar expression. Rawlinson testified 
to the same fact, and Neander tells us (in 
Neandefs History of the Cliurch^ vol. I., p. 385) 



THE GOOD COI^FESSION. 191 

the same about early practice of the church, and 
then proceeds to tell how and why it was changed. 
He says : " Gradually it came to be thought nec- 
essary that those who wished to be received into 
the Christian Church should be subjected to a 
more careful preparatory instruction and stricter 
examination." This abuse of the confession cul- 
minated in the long process of catechising every 
candidate for church membership. The tedious 
Catholic process of catechising was again changed 
by the Protestant world into the relation of 
dreams, feelings and imaginations, with which the 
people of the nineteenth century, especially those 
of the United States, have become so familiar. 

Having thus briefly glanced at the process of 
departure from the apostolic confession, we now 
urge upon those who have planted themselves on 
the Bible as the only religious guide, to labor 
hard and earnestly for the restoration of the 
ancient practice. 

Let me entreat you, friendly alien, you who 
have never confessed the name of the Son of God, 
delay no longer. Believe in your heart the voice 
of God at the baptism of Jesus. Let this truth 
melt your heart into deep penitence, and come to 
the feet of Jesus, with the exclamation, " I believe 
that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God." 



SERMON XYI. 
WHAT IS BAPTISM? 

By R. W. Officer. 

Text. — " And he commanded them to be baptized in the 
name of the Lord." — Acts 10 : 48. 

One thing in regard to baptism has ever im- 
pressed me with peculiar force ; and that is, it is a 
command that we can only obey one time through 
life. There is " one baptism," and only one. The 
action of baptism is not a debatable question. 
None of the religious denominations deny that the 
action we perform is scriptural, and therefore 
Christian baptism. To deny it, would be to flatly 
contradict all authority on the subject, both 
human and divine. There is but one baptism 
mentioned in our Father's book, which we are 
commanded to obey. Therefore, its importance. 
The baptism of the Holy Spirit is a gift of God, a 
promise. We can recei'de a gift, and enjoy a 
promise. But cannot obey either. Commands 
are to be obeyed. That you may know, dear 
reader, that spirit baptism is the gift of God, a 
promise, turn to Joel 2 : 29 ; Zee. 12 : 10 ; Acts 2 : 
16-19, and read. That you may know the baptism 

193 



WHAT IS BAPTISM i 103 

of which we speak is neither a gift, nor a promise ; 
but a command^ read our text : " And he com- 
manded them to be baptized in the name of the 
Lord." 

In the divine system, unfolded by the Holy 
Spirit of God our Father, throughout the whole 
economy of his inflexible dealing with poor fallen 
humanity, there is but one God and father of all, 
one Lord, one Spirit, one gospel, one faith, one 
baptism, and one body. There is no more author- 
ity in the Bible for more than one faith, baptism 
or body, than there is for more than one God, Lord 
or Spirit. The word baptisms, in the plural, is 
found but one time in all the Bible (Heb. 6 : 1-3). 
A plurality of baptisms is as much forbidden in 
the Scriptures as a plurality of Gods, Lords, 
Spirits, faiths, gospels or bodies. The man who 
accepts it as a fact into his heart, that there may 
be two or more different actions practiced for bap- 
tism, thinks, talks and acts as though it was a 
small valueless matter anjr way. Notwithstand- 
ing, it is the command of the Holy Spirit that 
believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, whose sorrow 
for sin hath wrought in them the will to forsake it, 
should be baptized. The man who, in the face of 
these immovable facts, regards the command (to a 
proper subject) to be baptized a small matter, does 
not need baptism ; but a loving, submissive and 
obedient faith in the Christian's King. Paul 
saith, "The commandment is holy, just and good." 

13 



194 TEXAS PULPIT. 

Rom. 7: 12. And Peter says, it had been better 
for them not to have known the way of righteous- 
ness, than, after they have known it, to turn from 
the holy commandment delivered unto them 
(II. Peter 2 : 21). Jesus said of the commandment 
of God, "I know that his commandment is life 
everlasting." John 12 : 60. The beloved disciple 
said, " He that keepeth his commandments dwell- 
eth in him (Christ), and he in him." I. John 3 : 24. 
'' He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his 
commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in 
him." I. John 2 : 4. Our blessed Lord puts the 
matter beyond controversy and forever at rest. 
"He that hath my commandments, and keepeth 
them, he it is that loveth me." John 14 : 21. He 
makes it a test of loyalty to him. "Let us hear 
the conclusion of the whole matter. Fear G-od, 
and keep his commandments, for this is the whole 
duty of man." Eccs. 12 : 13. Now, in regard to 
the action of baptism, it will be borne in mind 
that we never hear anybody speak of actions of 
Christian baptism. It is always the action. As 
we have already seen, there is but one baptism ac- 
cording to the Scriptures; and an acknowledge- 
ment of the fact crops out in the conversation, and 
writing, of those who practice more than one act. 
None of them will dare say, I sprinkle you, my 
brother, in the name of the Father, Son and Holy 
Spirit. Nor will they say, I sprinkle or pour 
water upon you by the authority of the Lord 



WHAT IS BAPTISM? 195 

Jesus Christ. Why? Echo answers why? The 
action, not actions, but actiois' of baptism, surely 
can be found in the Bible. Then to the Bible we 
will go. Remember, we will not go to the King's 
book to prove what the action is ; but to learn 
what God says it is. To find, see, read and learn 
what the disciples did in the days of the apostles, 
and left written for our instruction on this particu- 
lar subject. John is the only Baptist the Bible 
knows anything about. That is, the only man 
ever sent of the Lord to baptize. We do not learn 
from him what the action performed by him was. 
His baptism was in order to manifest Jesus to 
Israel. His record is, I knew him not : but that 
he should be made manifest to Israel, therefore am 
I come baptizing (John 1 : 31). Again, he had 
been told by him who sent him, " Upon whom 
thou shalt see the Spirit descending, and remaining 
on him, the same is he." John 1 : 33. 

From John 1 : 33, we learn two things. That he 
baptized by God's authority; and that his bap- 
tism was with water. That is, water was the ele- 
ment, it was not oil or milk ; but a more plentiful 
fluid — it was water. Now, turn to Matt. 3 : 16, 
and we learn that the action of baptism was per- 
formed in the water. The record is : " And Jesus, 
when he was baptized, went up straightway out of 
the water." So agrees Mark 1 : 10 and Acts 8: 
38, 39. The record is : " And they went down 
both into the water, both Philip and the eunucli ; 



196 TEXAS PULPIT. 

and lie baptized him. And when they had come 
up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught 
away Philip, that the eunuch saw him no more, 
and he went on his way rejoicing." Now, dear 
reader, is not the fact put beyond dispute, by 
three Spirit-guided witnesses, that the action of 
baptism took place in water ? But after reading 
carefully through Matthew, Mark, Luke, John and 
Acts of the Apostles, we fail to find the action 
which was performed in the water. But three 
things we do learn. First, that baptism is from 
God, by Ms authority. Second, that water was 
the element used. Third, that it was performed m 
the water. We might have learned what the 
action is ; but it was nowhere the purpose of any 
of the apostles, in either of these books, to tell us. 
Therefore, we pass on in our search for the action. 
We turn to Paul's letter to the Romans. (It will 
be remembered, that this letter is addressed to 
those who had been baptized — to the church). A 
thoughtful reading to the sixth chapter does not 
only prepare the mind for a reception of the truth ; 
but from the third to the sixth verse artlessly 
simplifies the fact that all the members of the 
church were hurled by baptism. As it is written : 
'' Know ye not, that so many of us as were bap- 
tized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his 
death ? Therefore, we are buried with him, by 
baptism, into death, that like as Christ was raised 
up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even 



WHAT IS BAPTISM? 197 

SO we also should walk in newness of life. For if 
we have been planted together in the likeness of his 
death, we shall be in the likeness of his resurrec- 
tion." Three things we learn here. First, the 
action of baptism, what it is. Second, that after, 
not before, but after, it was performed, they arose 
to walk in newness of life. Third, that baptism 
brought them to the promise of the resurrection. 

We will now sum up and see what we have 
learned in regard to the subject before us. 1st. 
That believing penitents are commanded to be 
baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus, by the 
authority of our heavenly Father. 2d. That water 
is the element. 3d. That both he who did the 
baptizing, and he who was baptized went down 
into the water. 4th. That those who were bap- 
tized were buried and raised up again while in 
the water. 5th. That they came up out of the 
waters of baptism to walk a new life. 6th. That 
they reach God's promise to raise them in like 
manner from the dead. 7th. That there is but 
one baptism. The Holy Spirit declares this work 
complete. Turn to Col. 2 : 10-13, and read, " Ye 
are complete in him, which is the head of all 
principality and power, in whom also ye are cir- 
cumcised with the circumcision made without 
hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the 
flesh, by the circumcision of Christ." Dear reader, 
is it not worth a world to learn what it is that 
does so much for us? Then read, "Buried with 



198 TEXAS PULPIT 

him in baptism, wherein, also, ye are risen with 
him through the faith of the operation of God, 
who hath raised him from the dead." To such an 
one, the remission of past sin is complete. Paul, 
to the Hebrew brethren, calls baptism a washing 
of tlie body with water. (Heb. 10 : 12). One thing 
in regard to the action of baptism is rather signih- 
cant. Every mention of it in all the letters to the 
churches, it is always connected with the burial 
and resurrection. This is the Lord's doings — 
"What God hath joined together let no man put 
asunder." It is strange how any other idea than 
a burial and resurrection of the body in water 
ever got into the mind of man, since the Spirit of 
our heavenly Father couples the action of bap- 
tism inseparably with the burial and resurrection. 
The only argument made by any of the apostles 
in favor of the resurrection, is found in I. Cor. loth 
chapter. And the Spirit-guided man of God there 
introduced, as the climax of his argument, the 
action of baptism. If the daad rise not, saith he, 
why baptize for the dead. That is, showing in the 
action of baptism the resurrection. And the fact 
was put beyond disjoute, for all had at that 
time the same idea of bajDtism. Baptism is no 
argument in favor of the resurrection to any 
man who does not accept it to be a burial and 
resurrection of the body. Again, Peter says, 
we are saved by baptism in a figure. Then de- 
clares salvation by the resurrection, (I. Peter 3 : - 



WHAT IS BAPTISM? 199 

20 , 21.) There was no baptism in the mind of the 
apostle except that which figured the resurrection ; 
and there can be no resurrection without a burial. 
Paul calls baptism the likeness of the burial and 
resurrection of Jesus. (Rom. 6 : 1-6). A baptism 
that has no likeness of the burial and resurrection 
in it, is no baptism, for there is but one. It has 
been said, we must lay three days and nights in 
the water. Not so, however, for no reference is 
had to time. The likeness of a man, 80 years old, 
may be taken in less than half a minute. The 
grave of the Lord Jesus was sealed. His mortal 
life was cut off, he was separated from the element 
of mortal life. It now appears, why water was 
selected as the element for baptism. It was not 
only plentiful ; but would easily seal the bap- 
tismal grave above our mortal lips, so that our 
former life might be cut off, and we arise to walk a 
new life. A baptism, therefore, that does. not cut 
the old life off, can not be Christian baptism. 
Noah, with his family, left all mortality in the 
grave of water, so did Moses and his followers ; so 
we must put off the old man with his deeds, in the 
waters of baptism, and if we be risen with him, 
seek those things which are above, where the Lord 
ever lives and makes intercession for the saints. 
Sometimes obedience to the commands of God 
brings greater blessings than the simple, and 
sometimes homely, act indicate. But to find it 



200 TEXAS PULPIT. 

written, must answer every doubt. It is God's to 
command ; ours to obey; and Ms to bless. 

In Berlin, there is an iron egg, of which the fol- 
lowing story is told : Many years ago, a prince 
became affianced to a princess, to whom he prom- 
ised to send a magnificent gift as a testimony of 
his affection. In due time the messenger arrived, 
bringing the promised gift, which proved to be an 
iron egg. The princess was so angry to think that 
the prince should send her so valueless a present 
that she threw it upon the floor, when the iron egg 
opened and disclosed a silver lining. Surprised at 
such a discovery, she took the egg in her hand, 
and, while examining it closely, discovered a secret 
spring, which she touched, and the silver lining 
opened, discovering a golden yolk. Examining 
carefully, she found another spring, which, when 
opened, disclosed within the golden yolk a ruby 
crown. Subjecting it to an examination, she 
touched a spring, and forth came the diamond ring 
with which he affianced her to himself. So, often 
God's gifts to erring men, like the iron egg, are 
cast aside. Even Jesus was "despised and re- 
jected of men." Yet, within that wonderful per- 
sonage, who neither had form nor comeliness that 
those who were blinded by the god of this world 
could see, resided all the fullness of the Godhead 
bodily. From the waters of baptism, which had 
no attraction, the Son of the living God came, 
owned of his Father, who was well pleased in his 



WHAT IS BAPTISM? 201 

Son. From the borrowed grave, which was closed 
up with a rock, he came, who is possessed of all 
power ... in heaven and earth. Why ob- 
ject to the form of doctrine which Jesus suffered 
in fact f He died upon the cross, we die to sin. 
He was buried in the rich man's grave, we^ in the 
waters of baptism. He arose by the power of the 
eternal Spirit, we arise to walk a new life. And 
the Spirit saith to the brethren at Rome : "Ye 
have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine 
which was delivered you. Being then made free 
from sin (past sin), ye became the servants of 
righteousness." Eom. 6 : 17, 18. 

It is a significant fact that the name of Christ is 
called upon us for the first time in baptism — 
thenceforth we wear his name, and are joint heirs 
of all his possessions, as the wedding ring con- 
ferred upon the bride the name of the groom, and 
endowed her with all his wealth and honor. 

Often the outward seeming of the richest gifts 
from God to man are exceedingly unattractive, and 
yet, within lies hidden the silver lining of his 
divine love ; within that love, the golden treasure 
of the gospel ; within the everlasting gospel, which 
tenderly reaches out after all the world, compass- 
ing mankind with love as endless as the ring, is 
offered the crown of everlasting life ! Buried in 
the forbidding waters of baptism, we arise wear- 
ing the name of Christ; buried in the repulsive 
dust of the tomb, we arise possessing all things. 



SERMON XYII. 
BEASORS FOR BAPTISM. 

By W. C. DiMMiTT. 

Cliristian baptism lias no significance, except in 
its connection with the scheme of man's redemp- 
tion, under the Christian economy. Looking, then, 
into the New Testament, the only book of divine 
authority on this subject, our first reason is found 
in the fact that it is : 

1. A command of Christ. To the believer, to 
know this, is suflBcient to induce hearty obedi- 
ence, though no other reason could be found. Our 
Master, Christ, accepts of obedience as the most 
satisfactory evidence of love. He said, John 14 : - 
23, *'If a man love me, he will keep my words." 
He taught the beloved John to say, " For this is 
the love of God, that we keep his commandments." 
I. John 5 : 3. Jesus says again, •" He that hath 
my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is 
that loveth me." John 14 : 21. Faith accepts of 
God's right to command, and love folds her arms, 
crying, "thy will be done in earth, as in heaven." 
Then, if for no other reason, believing penitents 
should be baptized, because God has so com- 
manded. 



REASONS rOR BAPTISM. 203 

2. We should follow the example of Christ, who 
was baptized to " fulfill all righteousness." He 
thought it not robbery to claim equality with God, 
yet, when John the Baptist came, preaching bap- 
tism in obedience to the command of God, know- 
ing his Father's will, Jesus " cometh from Galilee 
to Jordan unto John, to he baptized of Mmy John 
3 : 13. Now John was baptizing for the remission 
of sins, and knowing that Jesus was a better man 
than himself, refused to baptize him, saying, " I 
have need to be baptized of thee;" but when Jesus 
gave another reason than for remission, saying, 
" Suffer it to be so now ; for thus it becometh us to 
fulfill all righteousness," then he suffered him, 
and thus established this third reason why be- 
lievers should be baptized. Dear reader, have 
you said, " BajDtism is not essential?" If Christ 
must do this in order to fulfill all righteousness, 
can you willfully neglect it, and yet claim to be 
righteous ? I once asked a lady, " Have you ever 
been baptized ?" She answered, with a smile, " I 
have been s^Drinkled (^. e. rantized)^ and I think 
that will do as well as to be baptized." " But," 
said I, ''do you not know that Christ was baptized 
(immersed), and should you not follow his exam- 
ple ?" She came next day, saying, " I must do as 
my Master did ; I, too, am ready to walk a hundred 
miles, if need be, to be buried with Christ in 
Christian baptism." 

3. As the bread and wine of the supper says 



204 TEXAS PULPIT. 

plainly to the participant and the beholder, his 
body was bruised and his blood shed for the re- 
mission of man's sins, so every baptism says to 
the subject, and to every intelligent witness of the 
act, Christ was buried and rose again for man's 
justification. Dear reader, will you examine care- 
fully Hom. 6 : 4, 5 : '' Therefore, we are buried 
with him by baptism into death ; that, like as 
Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory 
of the Father, even so we also should walk in new- 
ness of life. For if we have been planted together 
in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in. 
the likeness of his resurrection." Read, also. Col. 
2:12; '' Buried with him in baptism, wherein ye 
are risen with him through the faith of the oper- 
ation of God, who hath raised him from the dead." 
Being planted in the likeness of his death, and 
rising in the likeness of his resurrection, we en- 
able the water to bear its witness before the 
world. Read I. John 5:8: "And there are three 
that bear witness on earth, the Spirit, and the 
water, and the blood, and these three agree in 
one." Friend of Jesus, can you, will you neglect 
these great memorial institutions? Will you re- 
fuse to allow your body to be buried and raised 
again in perpetuation of this testimony ? Do you 
not believe that Christ, in Matt. 28 : 19, used the 
word baptizing in preference to the word rantizing, 
because the former suited his purpose ? Baptism 
memorializes the burial and resurrection of Christ. 



EEASONS FOE BAPTISM. 205 

Would it not be a great loss to Christianity to 
lose the memorial institution of the supper? To 
lose the action of baptism would be an equal loss. 
Brethren, let us continue to be earnest and faithful 
custodians of this institution. Wisdom, divine 
wisdom, mercy and love have given, or appointed 
it. Let us keep it pure and unadulterated. We 
have brought its importance, its necessity and de- 
sign, to the light of the nineteenth century. 
Doubtless, but for that restoration, the act of bap- 
tism would have been ultimately lost to the 
church and to the world, for why should the 
church preserve an inconvenient and non-essential 
act, especially as it is sometimes attended with 
the most intense suffering, and, but for faith and 
love, would be frequently accompanied with the 
deepest humiliation. Brethren, God has raised us 
up to restore the ancient faith and practice of the 
Church of Christ. Let us be faithful to his ap- 
pointments. 

4. By this important institution, the believing 
penitent is initiated into the kingdom of God. 
Man, in his native condition, is accounted an alien, 
a foreigner and stranger. Read Eph. 2:11: 
"Wherefore remember, that ye, being in time past, 
Gentiles in the llesh, who are called uncircum- 
cision, by that which is called circumcision in the 
flesh made by hands. That at that time ye were 
without Christ, being aliens from the common- 
wealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants 



206 TEXAS PULPIT. 

of promise, having no hope, and without Grod in 
the world, but now, in Christ Jesus, ye, who some- 
times were far off, are made nigh by the blood of 
Christ." On this statement, read John 3:5: 
" Except a man be born of water and the Spirit, he 
cannot enter into the kingdom of God." Read, 
also, Matt. 28: 19: "Go ye, therefore, and teach 
(disciple) all nations, baptizing them into the 
name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the 
Holy Spirit." 

To be in Christ, is to be in his kingdom, or 
church, and Paul says : " Know ye not, that so 
many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ, 
were baptized into his death ? " Eomans 6 : 3. 
To get into Christ is to put on Christ, and all who 
put on Christ are in his kingdom, and all in his 
kingdom are children of God. Hence, Paul says : 
''For ye are all the children of God by faith in 
Christ Jesus, for as many of you as have been 
baptized into Christ have put on Christ." Gal. 
3 : 26, 27. 

5. Because God has promised the pardon of 
alien sins to all those who, believing with all the 
heart that Jesus is the Christ, repent of their sins, 
and are baptized into the name of the Father, Son, 
and Holy Spirit. 

On a certain occasion, while stating this ques- 
tion, a man said, "There, I told you so. These 
people believe in baptismal regeneration. They 
teach that the heart is changed or purified by 



REASONS FOR BAPTISM. 207 

water baptism." Now, reader, it was Ms mistake, 
not mine. He had been taught that pardon is 
regeneration ; that regeneration is an instant 
change, and that this change is pardon. Allow 
me to illustrate the difference between pardon and 
the necessary change of heart which precedes it : 
A man insults me, traduces my character, and in- 
jures my person. All this shows his heart is evil 
toward me, that he hates me. You are a mutual 
friend, you determine to change his heart, and 
cause him to love me. He supposes me his enemy, 
and that I had injured him ; you convince him that 
he is mistaken ; that I have been his friend, often 
sacrificing my own interest for his. His heart is 
changed, he loves me now. He takes back the 
slander, restores my property, and apologizes. All 
this is evidence of his change, but not of his par- 
don. That is my act, I alone can realize it. I 
may speak, and thus give him knowledge of his 
pardon, or I may make conditions, upon the per- 
formance of which, he may claim my word, and be 
fully satisfied, and no longer fear a suit for dam- 
ages, or any other chastisement for his treatment 
of me. 

We preach a crucified Redeemer, a risen Savior, 
an ascended High Priest, a loving teacher, to 
dying, helpless, guilty sinners, until they love him, 
hate their sins, and turn away from them, crying, 
" Speak, Lord, thy servant heareth ; command, thy 
servant will obey. " Such persons have exper- 



208 TEXAS PULPIT. 

ienced a great change, but is this pardon ? Pardon 
is Grod's act, and takes place in his mind, and his 
word is the evidence of it. 

" Go," said Christ, " into all the world, and 
preach the gospel to every creature. He that be- 
lieveth and is baptized shall be saved, but he that 
believeth not shall be damned.-' How did his dis- 
ciples understand this ? Turn to Acts 2 : 37, 38 : 
*']S^ow when they heard this, they were pricked in 
their heart, and said unto Peter, and to the rest of 
the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do ? 
Then Peter said unto them, Repent and be bap- 
tized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ, 
for the remission of sins, and you shall receive the 
gift of the Holy Spirit." The next verse shows, 
without *a doubt, that Peter undeistood that the 
promise of God, the promise of pardon^ was asso- 
ciated with this act, '' For the promise, (promise of 
pardon) is unto you, and to your children, and to 
all that are afar off." Ananias, sent by Christ to 
Saul, so understood it, hence he said to Saul (Acts 
22 : 16), " And now why tarriest thou ? Arise, and 
be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on 
the name of the Lord." Paul so understood it, 
when in Romans 6 : 16, 17, he thanks God that, 
though they had been sinners, they were freed 
from their sins, when they obeyed from the heart 
the form of doctrine delivered them. That doc- 
trine, according to II. Cor. 15, is found in the 
death, burial, and resurrectian of Christ. Through 



REASOKS FOR BAPTISM. 209 

faith, we die to the love and practice of sin ; in 
baptism, we are buried and rise again, and it is 
then, that the apostle says we are made free from 
sin. 

Again, as the waters of the flood bore Noah 
safe from the old and condemned world, into the 
new and saved world, so, baptism, administered to 
penitent believers, translates them from the old, or 
condemned state, into the new, or justified state. 
Hence, in I. Pet. 3 : 20, 21, we learn that the eight 
souls of I^oah's family were saved by water, and 
it is in this manner that " baptism now saves us." 
We are told, indeed (II. Cor. 1 : 20), that all the 
promises, of which pardon is one, are in him, in 
Christ, and it is by this act that all true believers 
get into, or put on Christ, (Matt. 28 : 19 ; Rom. 
6:3; Gal. 3 : 27). 

Once, while seated upon a great rock, on the 
banks of the beautiful Llano river, I was trans- 
ported in thought far away to where the Jordan, 
God's chosen river, sings yet, the pebbly song, 
that once gladdened the heart of him who came to 
save Israel and the world ; I heard the voice of 
John, crying, " Repent ye ; for the kingdom of 
Heaven is at hand." I saw great throngs of peo- 
ple, from Jerusalem, and all Judea, and all the 
region round about Jordan, crowding down to the 
water's edge, while ever and anon, I heard the 
voice of the Harbinger, as he baptized the people 
into the river, crying, " I am the voice of one cry- 

14 



210 TEXAS PULPIT. 

ing in the wilderness ; prepare ye the way of th& 
Lord." There came one, evidently well known ta 
John, for John refused him, saying, " I have need 
to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me ? " 
It was Jesus of Nazareth, the carpenter's son, 
whom John placed above himself. Strange things 
had been heard of his wisdom and knowledge, 
manifested since he was twelve years of age, and 
the crowd pressed upon them to hear the reply. 
Seventy miles, John, said Jesus, have I walked to 
obey my Father's command ; am I not one of the 
sons of men ? Far down the way, I see another 
baptism, to which I must be sujected, of which 
yours is but the type, " Suffer it to be so now, for 
thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness." 
Solemnly, John led him down into the stream, and 
buried him beneath its bright waters, and then, as 
Jesus came up straightway out of the water, the 
multitude looked up, and in astonishment saw 
that heaven was opened, whence descended the 
Spirit, as a bright winged dove, while a voice, the 
voice of Grod, exclaimed, in emphatic words of ap- 
proval, " This is my beloved Son, in whom I am 
well pleased." 

And then, I heard a voice crying, " The day of 
the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in 
which the heavens shall pass away with a great 
noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent 
heat, the earth also, and the works that are therein 
shall be burned up." " The Lord cometh with ten 



REASONS FOR BAPTISM. 211 

thousand of his saints, to execute judgment upon 
all, and to convince all that are ungodly among 
them of their ungodly deeds which they have un- 
committed, and of all their hard speeches, which 
ungodly sinners have spoken against him." And 
yet louder the voice seemed to cry, '^ The Lord 
Jesus shall be revealed from heaven, with his 
mighty angels, in flaming fire, taking vengeance 
on them that know not Grod, and that obey not the 
gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, who shall be pun- 
ished with everlasting destruction from the pres- 
ence of the Lord, and the glory of his power." 

The revery was broken by the voice of song, 
under the great gospel tent, singing ; — 

" On Jordan's stormy banks I stand, 
And cast a wishful eye 
To Canaan's fair and happy land, 
Where my possessions lie." 

And I thought, when men disregard as unimpor- 
tant that which brought down the commmendation 
of heaven, O, fearful must be the reckoning of the 
last day. 



SERMON XYIII. 

RELATION OF FAITH AND SALVATION 

By Wm. J. Barbee. 

Texts. — "These (things) are written that ye might believe 
that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God ; and that believing, ye 
might have life through his name." John 20 : 31. 
— "Receiving the end of your faith, the salvation of your 
souls."— I. Pet. 1 : 9. 

I. DEFINITION. 

Faith is the belief of a proposition, the function 
of the human mind. The two great extremes of 
animate existence in the universe cannot be the 
subjects of faith, mz.^ God, and the inferior ani- 
mals. The former rises too high for faith, the 
latter sink too low. 

True faith is the belief of a truth. False faith 
is the belief of a falsehood. The terminus of the 
one is salvation^ the terminus of the other is 
destruction. 

Our subject is faith and salvation. We wish to 
show the working of the mind preceding the belief 
of the truth, and to trace its operations until it 
rests in the end of faith — the salvation of the 
soul. 

Credulity is not faith. It is the foolish accept- 

212 



FAITH AND SALVATION. 213 

ance of a dictum announced by human authority. 
The man who said " I would believe that a white 
handkerchief is black, if the Pope of Rome said 
so/' had lost his reason, and was bound to a 
despot. 

Nor is mere historic belief the faith of the gos- 
pel ; for the faith required by the word of God is 
moral confidence in God, and in him whom God 
has sent to be the Savior of man. 

II. NECESSITY OF FAITH. 

"Without faith it is impossible to please God." 
Such is the emphatic declaration of the Spirit of 
all wisdom, speaking by the mouth of the great 
apostle to the Gentiles. With equal emphasis 
he says, ''For he that cometh to God, must believe 
that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that 
diligently seek him." God can be approached in 
no other way. The law is irrevocable. Its author is 
immutable, and man, in all the pride of his intel- 
lect, in all the achievements of his genius, cannot 
possibly hold communion with the Father of his 
spirit except upon the condition that he believe 
that he is the ever living and true God, and that 
he is the moral governor of the universe. 

III. UNIVERSALITY OF THE PRINCIPLE. 

Faith is the active principle of the moral gov- 
ernment of God touching humanity in all dispen- 



214 TEXAS PULPIT. 

sations. It "is the substance of things hoped for, 
evidence of things not seen," always, everywhere, 
and by all who reverence God. It belongs to no 
age exclusively, though brought to view and ex- 
hibited in all its relations more prominently in the 
Christian economy. 

" By faith Abel offered unto God a more excel- 
lent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained wit- 
ness that he was righteous, God testifying of his 
gifts ; and by it, he being dead, yet speaketh." 
He was a model believer ; and all who believe 
God, have the spirit of Abel. " By faith, Noah 
•being warned of God of things not seen as yet, 
moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of 
his house ; condemned the world (of unbelief) and 
became heir of the righteousness by faith." By 
faith, Abraham, when called, obeyed, and he went 
out not knowing whither he went ; and by faith, he 
offered up Isaac. By faith Moses, forsook Egypt 
and cast his lot with the people of God. By faith, 
the children of Israel passed through the Red Sea. 
By faith, Rahab was saved from the destruction of 
Joshua's conquering hosts, when she had received 
the messengers and sent them out another way. 
Time would fail to tell of the mighty company of 
prophets and people, who have obtained a good 
report through faith; who subdued kingdoms, 
"wrought righteousness, obtained promises, 
stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the violence 
fire, out of weakness were made strong, waxed 



FAITH AND SALVATION". 215 

Taliant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the 
aliens ; were stoned, torn asunder, tempted, slain 
with sword, and wandered in deserts, mountains, 
dens and caves of the earth." 

If we observe the operation of the same great 
motive power during the personal ministry of the 

Messiah, we shall see that here, as in nature, '' like 
causes, working under like circumstances, produce 
like efiects." 

The centurion, believing in the Divine power of 
the Son of God, approached him in faith, and 
asked him to heal his servant, " Speak the word, 
Lord, and my servant shall be healed." It was 
done. Christ healed the servant on the faith of 
his Master. 

The woman who touched the hem of Christ's 
garment, was a woman of faith. Christ recognized 
it. He healed her. The woman of Canaan, too, 
was a woman of faith. Christ said, " Great is thy 
faith." He healed her daughter. 

The nobleman of Capernaum was a man of 
faith — Christ discerned his faith and healed his 
child. 

Faith was a grand objective point, to which 
Christ endeavored to conduct the mind, and from 
which man was enabled, under divine guidance, to 
look out upon humanity fettered by sin ; upon 
Dvinity wrestling with sin ; upon philosophy 
vainly striving to control the power of sin ; man's 
wisdom failing to find eternal life ; God's philan- 



216 TEXAS PULPIT. 

thropy rescuing man from the power of death ; 
God's wisdom directing man to glory, honor and 
immortality 

Extending our inquiry still further, we discern, 
that, under the preaching of the apostles, faith 
worked by love, and purified the heart. Three 
thousand, on the day of Pentecost, after exercising 
faith in Christ, repented of their sins were baptized 
in the name of Jesus, and received pardon. Five 
thousand who heard the word in Solomon's porch, 
bowed in faith, to the authority of the Messiah. 
By faith, the Samaritans accepted the Word of 
God. By faith, Saul of Tarsus sought Ananias 
and was baptized. By faith, the Gentiles at the 
house of Cornelius received the Word of God and 
were baptized. By faith the trembling jailer of 
Philippi yielded obedience and was baptized, with 
all his house. By faith, the Romans were buried 
with the Lord by baptism into his death — they 
were justified, too ; had peace with God, and en- 
joyed the promise of eternal life. So, too, with the 
Ephesians, Philippians, Corinthians and Colos- 
sians, together with the strangers scattered through 
Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia. 
All became the elect of God by faith in Christ 
and santification of the spirit. 

IV. TJISTBELIEF. 

" Blind unbelief is sure to err." We have seen 



FAITH AND SALVATION. 217 

that faith in God and in his Son terminate in sal- 
vation. Must not unbelief terminate in destruc- 
tion? Let us see. By unbelief, the antediluvians 
were overwhelmed in the deluge. "He that be- 
lieveth not shall be damned." By unbelief, the 
hosts of Pharaoh were submerged beneath the 
Red Sea. "He that believeth not shall be damned." 
By unbelief, the inhabitants of Jericho perished 
under the terrific assault of the army of Joshua. 
"He that believeth not shall be damned." By unbe- 
lief Israel often rebelled. The people sat down to 
eat and drink and rose up to play ; worshipped a 
golden calf, and God destroyed three thousand. 
They committed fornication, and twenty thousand 
were destroyed in one day. They became a sinful 
nation, a people laden with iniquity, a seed of evil- 
doers. God withdrew himself from them ; would 
not hear their prayers or receive their oflferings 
until they would return by faith and confession. 
" He that believeth not shall be damned." 
Throughout the whole moral universe, the principle 
is true. Faith binds the soul to God, unbelief 
separates it. In all places of his dominion, God 
has inscribed the law on tablets more durable 
than brass. Believe, obey, and live; Disbelieve^ 
disobey, and die. 

V. MAN AND REVELATION. 

No revelation, no faith. We mean that where 
there is no revelation of God's will, there cannot be 



218 TEXAS PULPIT. 

any faith in God. True, man has the capacity for 
believing either truth or falsehood, and he is just 
as liable to believe a lie as the truth. He wlio be- 
lieves a lie, believes a false revelation. He who 
believes truth, believes a true revelation. 

The only revelation v^hich God has made to man 
is contained in the Bible. Since the world began, 
has it ever been known that man believed in God, 
or a prophet of God, until God first revealed himself 
to him, by speaking with his own mouth, or by the 
mouth of an inspired teacher ? 

Let the profound ignorance of Egyptians, Assyri- 
ans, Persians, Grecians and Romans, answer the 
question. Let the idolatry of the Pagan world 
now answer it. Let the untutored child in a Chris- 
tian land answer it. The world, by philosophy, 
does not and cannot know God. So says the in- 
spired Paul ; and so say all the nations of earth, 
civilized and uncivilized. A book — revelation is 
wonderfully adapted to the human mind. The 
Bible is the Word of God, giving utterance to his 
thoughts, his purposes, his plan of salvation ; and 
it is fully " competent for doctrine, reproof, correc- 
tion, instruction in righteousness." 

VI. THREE SCHOOLS OF PSYCHOLOGY. 

On the subject of faith, there are three schools of 
psychology, viz. : The Mystics^ the Naturalists ^ 
and the Intellectualists. Their respective systems 



FAITH Al^jy SALVATION. 219 

may be styled Mysticism^ Naturalism and Intel- 
lectualism. 

Mysticism, as applied to faith, is the doctrine of 
direct spiritual influence. It assumes that man is 
totally depraved, and utterly unable to use either 
the moral or intellectual powers in coming to God ; 
that his mind must be illuminated by receiving 
direct light from Grod ; that the '' light of the glori- 
ous gospel of the Son of God " is not sufficiently 
bright, and that the preaching, even of Paul, is 
scarcely adequate to the grand purpose of opening 
Gentile eyes — turning them from darkness to light, 
and from the power of Satan unto God (Acts 
2Q : 18) — that the Word of God is quicJc^ but not 
quick enough ; that it is powerful^ but not power- 
ful enough ; that it is sharper than any two-edged 
sword, but rather dull for such a thing as a human 
heart ; that it is a discerner of the thoughts and 
intents of the heart — still, it cannot discern deep 
enough to convert the soul. Still further — that not- 
withstanding the Word of God is intelligible, a 
man cannot understand it ; is impartial, still God, 
by respect of persons, selects, by his sovereignty, 
those in whom he infuses faith ; is perfect, but God 
supplies a deficiency by adding additional power ; 
is enliglitening , still God must lighten up its ob- 
scurity ; and prescribing the whole duty of man, 
still God, by mystic grace, directs thousands to go 
into a hundred Protestant sects, and millions to 
join the " Holy, apostolic Catholic Church ! " 



220 TEXAS PULPIT. 

Now, what says Mysticism on the subject of 
faith? We obtain an answer from two eminent 
defenders of the system. 

1. "Faith is a gift of God and a supernatural 
virtue, by which we firmly believe in God and in 
all the truths which the church (Catholic) teaches. 
Faith comes not from ourselves. The very day on 
which you became Christians (in your infancy) and 
received the gift of faith at the baptismal font^ 
there were millions of children born throughout the 
world who had not the same happiness you had.'^ 
(Canon Thomas, Belgium.) 

2. "Faith cannot be any exercise of the human 
understanding, any act of the mind of man, in which 
it believes any testimony, even that of God, about 
everything, even salvation. I know John, in his 
first letter, says, ' if we receive the witness of men, 
the witness of God is greater, for this is the witness 
of God.' Yes, in his gospel, 'the Father himself 
hath borne witness of me,' saying, ' This is my be- 
loved Son, hear him,' — but still I insist that faith 
is a special grace of the Spirit — a direct gift of God, 
and that man is entirely passive in its movement 
on the soul." (Dr. Breckenridge, in "Knowledge 
of God.") 

We cannot admire this system for four reasons : 
1st. It makes God an unprincipled despot. 2d. It 
destroys personal responsibility. 3d. It stultifies 
all the gracious invitations of the gospel and con- 
tradicts the preaching of the apostles. 4th. It 



FAITH AND SALVATION. 221 

makes the judgment of the great day a scene of 
tyrannical arbitration — instead of an exhibition of 
justice. 

Naturalism contends that faith in a Supreme 
Being is an intuitive faculty of the mind, and so, 
too, of all the acts of worship due to the Creator. 
Man needs no other revelation than the one from 
within — ab intra. All at) extra revelation is re- 
jected. Spiritualists, Deists, Parkerites and l^ew- 
manites, together with the leading phrenologists of 
the world, contend for this theory. 

There is one unanswerable argument against the 
system. It gives the world a variable God, more 
whimsical than any of the deities of Greece or 
Rome. We prefer a Father in heaven, who is with- 
out variableness or shadow of turning. A variable 
God necessitates a variable faith. We prefer a 
faith that has the quality of unity. 

Intellectualism is the true psychology. Let us 
define it. Regulated by the Word of God, it gives 
glory to God, honor to the Son, dignity to the Holy 
Spirit, and responsibility to man. This system 
requires the use of the intellect in order to hear and 
believe the Word of God. It calls to its aid all 
the moral sensibilities that may be necessary for 
the full development of faith — all the service of the 
will in the manifestation of faith. It looks to God 
and relies on his wisdom and goodness, his power 
and his truth, and constantly consults the holy- 
oracles of truth — inspired Scripture. 



222 TEXAS PULPIT. 

It relies upon " tlie grace of God that bringeth 
salvation to all men ; " asks with Paul, " Lord, 
what wilt thou have me do ? " with the multitude 
at Pentecost, "Men and brethren, what shall we 
do?" with the jailor, " Sirs, what must I do to be 
saved ? " It recognizes the grand truth that the 
world by wisdom does not know God, and that 
God, in his mercy, proposes to save man by the 
preaching of the cross. It receives, as an unalter- 
able truth, the dictum of Paul, "Faith comes by 
hearing, and hearing by the Word of God ; " and 
it is constantly asking the world that memorable 
series of questions (Rom. 10 : 14, 15), " How shall 
they call on him in whom they have not believed ? 
how shall they believe in him of whom they have 
not heard? and how shall they hear without a 
preacher?" 

Intellectualism^ leading the way, and uniting 
with emotion and will, is reason liearing God, he- 
liemng God, and obeying God. 

I proceed now in order to present 

VII. THE ELEMEIS-TS OP FAITH THEIR COMBINA- 
TION AND EESULT. 

I ask your attention to the following points : 

1. The Subject of Faith. 2. The Object of Faith. 
3. The Ground of Faith. 4. The Motive of Faith. 
5. The Influence of Faith. 6. The Effect of Faith. 
In general : 1. The subject of faith is the believer. 

2. The object of faith is the proposition believed 



FAITH AI^D SALVATIOIS^. 223 

3. The ground of faith is testimony. 4. The motive 
of faith is the desire of life with the fear of death. 
5. The influence of faith is the obedience resulting 
therefrom. 6. The result of faith is salvation from 
impending danger. 

A plain illustration. A man is sick — in danger 
of dying. He consults friends, employs a physician, 
takes his medicine, and gets well. That man is 
saved by faith. Let us analyze it. The patient is 
the subject of faith. His physician and his char- 
acter constitute the object of his faith. The testi- 
mony of friends is the ground of his faith. The 
desire of life is the motive of his faith. Obedience 
is the influence of his faith, and salvation is the 
result or effect of his faith. 

VIII. ILLUSTRATIOTT FROM THE BIBLE. 

The Israelites at the Red Sea saved by faith. 
" By faith they passed through the Red Sea as by 
dry land, which the Egyptians attempting to do, 
were drowned." Heb. 11 : 29. 

Analysis. 1. The Israelites were the subjects 
of faith — the believers. 2. The God of Israel, his 
Word, the object of their faith. 3. The testimony 
afforded by Moses, the ground of their faith. 

4. The desire of life with the fear of death, the 
motive of their faith. 5. The forward movement, 
the influence of their faith. 6. Salvation from their 
enemies, the effect of their faith. 

History of the case. The children of Israel had 



224 TEXAS PULPIT. 

just escaped the bondage of Pharaoh. They were 
encamped near the Red Sea. Pharaoh was in hot 
pursuit. The haughty general drew near to the 
army of Israel with his horses and chariots, and 
overtook them. What a display of conflicting 
powers ! God and Satan ! Moses and Pharaoh i 
Faith and infidelity ! Let ns watch the combat. 
Israel trembled, but Moses, filled with the Spirit of 
God, cried aloud, " Fear not. Stand ye still and 
see the salvation of the Lord." It was an eventful 
hour. Two nations, two sovereigns, two principles. 
Pharaoh approached ; Israel stood — stood not in 
stupidit}^, but waiting for orders — stood, not in 
passivity, expecting the Almighty to blow into 
them the breath of courage, but they stood in 
faith — and then they passed through the Red Sea. 
The order came from heaven, '' Lift up thy rod and 
stretch out thy hand over the sea, divide it and 
command the children of Israel to go forward." 
It was done. Moses spoke, Israel obeyed, and 
Israel was saved. They believed God, believed his 
Word, believed his servant. They marched through 
dry-shod. Faith impelled them, confidence in God 
assured them, and they found deliverance and sang 
the song of salvation. 

IX. APPLICATION or THESE PRINCIPLES TO THE 
CHRISTIAN SYSTEM. 

Observe our arrangement, and consider it atten- 
tively. 



FAITH ANi) SALVATIOJS-. 225 

1. Man^ the sinner^ is the subject of faith. 2. 
Ohrist, the Savior, is the object of faith. 3. The 
testimony of the Word of God is the ground of 
faith. The desire of spiritual and eternal life is 
tlie motive of faith. 5. Obedience to God's au- 
thority is the influence of faith. 6. Salvation 
from sin — the effect of faith. 

Let us notice these statements briefly, and in 
regular order. 

1. Man, the sinner, is the subject of faith. 
Endowed by his Creator with intellect, sensibili- 
ties and will, he uses all these powers in the fall 
exercise of faith. Is there any depravity of the 
intellect ? The gospel can correct it. Is there de- 
pravity of the feelings? The gospel supplies the 
remedy. Sanctify them by thy truth — thy word is 
truth. Ye have purified your souls, by obeying 
the truth. Is there depravity of the will? The 
gospel is the cure. Ye have obeyed from the 
heart the form of doctrine delivered you — having 
believed the gospel which is God's power for sal- 
vation. 

2. Christ, the Savior, is the object of faith. 
'' These are written, that ye might believe that 
Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God." This is the 
distinctive differential proposition of Christianity. 
Not thirty-nine articles, but one truth ; not the 
homilies of men, but the word of God ; not things 
and places, but a person, and the truth concerning 
him. 

15 



226 TEXAS PULPIT. 

When Clirist himself put the question to his dis- 
ciples, " Who do men say, that I, the Son of Man, 
am ? " and various answers were given, he asked 
emphatically *' Who say ye that I am ? " Peter 
answered, "Thou art the Christ, the Son of the 
living God." Born of God, he is God's son ; 
anointed by the spirit, he is the Christ of God ; 
sent as a Savior, he is Jesus ; Divinity dwelling in 
humanity, he is Emanuel ; teacher of divine truth, 
he is the prophet of God ; atoner and and recon- 
ciler, he is the High Priest of God ; ruler selected 
by God, he is king in Zion. This Jesus — prophet, 
priest and king, was justified by the Spirit, seen of 
angels, died, was buried, rose again, received up 
into glory, preached to the nations and believed 
on in the world. In all the discourses of the apos- 
tles, from the inauguration on Pentecost to the 
close of their labors, this mighty truth was the 
text — Christ on the cross, Christ in the grave, 
Christ on the throne. It includes his eventful 
career on earth and in heaven, and contemplates 
him in the past, the present and the future ; in the 
past, as the sufferer of Calvary, in the present, as 
the ascended Lord of glory, making intercession 
for all who approach him by faith ; in the future, 
as the returning Lord coming without a sin offer- 
ing for our salvation. Christ, the manifestation of 
God, is the object of our faith. 

3. The Testimony of the Word of God is the 
ground of Faith. Christ is compassed about with 



FAITH AND SALVATION. 227 

a cloud of witnesses. We have, 1. All the 
prophets (Acts 10 : 43). 2. The Father (John 
5 : 37). 3. John, the Baptist (John 5 : 33). 4. The 
works of Christ (John 5 : 36). 5. The Scriptures 
(John 5 : 39). 6. The apostles (Acts 10 : 39). 7. 
The Holy Spirit (Acts 5 : 32). 8. The Water and 
the Blood (I. John 5 : 8). 9. The Christia-n's spirit 
(Rom. 8:16; I. John 5 : 10). All these witnesses 
agree in one, that Jesus is the Christy tlie Son of 
Ood. At Jerusalem, at Samaria, on the road to 
Gaza, at the household of Cornelius, at Philippi, 
at Thessalonica, at Corinth, aye, in all the cities 
and villages — there was one apostolic voice ; Faith 
Cometh by hearing the testimony that God has 
given of his Son. 

4. The desire of spiritual life and eternal life 
is the motive of faith. The consciousness of a 
soul awakened by faith is- the great proof of this 
truth. Faith works by love and thus purifies the 
heart. The purified heart longs to dwell with God, 
and an earnest desire for a holy life here, and 
longing for the life to come is engendered. And 
here we have the work of the emotions. These 
co-operating with the intelligence, soon excite the 
will. This brings us to our next point. 

5. Obedience to God's authority is the influ- 
ence of faith. When the multitude, on the day of 
Pentecost, asked in faith, "What must we do? " 
Peter responded, " Repent and be baptized, every 
one of you in the name of Jesus Christ, for the re- 



228 TEXAS PULPIT. 

mission of sins." The will was reached through 
the intellecc and moral sensibilities. The will 
obeyed, and three thousand repented and were 
baptized. The same occurred at the temple on a 
subsequent day ; the same at Samaria, the same 
at the house of Cornelius, at Rome, at Corinth 
and at all the leading cities of the empire. One 
Lord, one faith, one gospel, one plan of salvation. 

" ' Tis faith that purifies the heart, 
' Tis faith that works by love; 
Tliat bids all sinful joys depart, 
And lifts the thoughts above." 

6. Salvation from sin is the effect of faith. 
When believing penitents confessed Christ and 
were baptized, they had the assurance of God's 
Word uttered, by apostles, that they were saved 
from past sin, and they were thus instructed to 
continue patiently in well doing, seeking for glory, 
honor and immortality, having the promise of 
eternal life through Christ. They realized the end 
of their faith, the salvation of their souls. Like 
causes in the moral world, as well as the physical, 
operating under like circumstances, will produce 
like effects. Faith, like a guardian angel, led 
man to repentance, confession, baptism, salvation, 
progression and education in righteousness. Let 
us, like our brethren of the apostolic age, " lay 
aside every weight, and the sin that doth so easily 
beset us," and run, with patience, the race set be- 
fore us in the gospel, looking for the glorious ap- 



FAITH Amu SALVATION. 229 

pearing of tlie Redeemer. Let us cherish a faith 
which — 

*' Bears us through this earthly strife, 
And triumphs in immortal life." 



SERMO]^ XIX. 

THE WORD OF GOD A DISCERNER OF THE 
HEART. 

, By F. D. SSTGLEY. 

Text. — "For the Word of God is quick and powerful, and 
sharper than any two-edged sword, x^iercing even to the dividing 
asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joiAts and marrow, and is 
a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart." — Heb. 
4.: 12. 

It is not deemed prudent to argue now with those 
who attach some mystical meaning to the phrase, 
" Word of God," as here used. JSTo offense is in- 
tended dn thus declining to give such theories a 
hearing. IS'or is it intimated that such theories are 
without arguments, both plausible and weighty, to 
sustain them. But the space allotted to this dis- 
course is too small to admit a discussion of every 
question that can be raised touching the text. To 
those who entertain a different view as to the 
meaning of the phrase, " Word of God," from the 
view here taken, is cordially conceded the same 
right of opinion which every man claims for him- 
self. To write satisfactorily about anything, in the 
space apportioned to this discourse, one must begin 
somewhere. To begin with, then, let it be assumed 

230 



THE WORD or GOD. 231 

that the phrase, '* Word of God," as here used, is 
but another name for the law which God has given 
to govern the world. That law, it may be further 
assumed, is the volume of inspiration. It should 
not be thought that this assumption is but an arbi- 
trary starting point. It is rather a matured convic- 
tion, held firmly and without doubt, after much 
patient examination of reasoning in support of 
contrary opinions. 

Perhaps it is just as well, too, to pass by what 
the text says about "the Word of God piercing 
even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and 
of the joints and marrow." The reader is no doubt 
€urious to know how " the Word of God " can pos- 
sibly divide between the soul and spirit. And 
^ven if this were explained satisfactorily, curiosity 
is only sharpened to ask how this same Word of 
God can divide between the joints and marrow. 
And once this last interrogation point is satisfac- 
torily straightened out, the chances are that it 
would immediately twist itself around again to ask 
what is the difference between the soul and tlie 
spirit, anyway ? These are all questions nice 
enough in their way for anyone to ask. Perhaps 
they can all be answered, and perhaps they cannot. 
It is in point to say no effort will be made at an- 
swering them in this discourse. 

" The Word of God is .... a discerner of 
the thoughts and intents of the heart." This is 
the thing to think about. What does it mean ? Is 



332 TEXAS PULPIT. 

there any theology in it ? Will a correct under- 
standing of it lead to a deeper piety, a purer heart, 
a better life ? Does it clear away any of the popu- 
lar mysteries concerning conversion, regeneration 
salvation? Is it necessary to think much about 
such a statement, anyhow ? Is ignorance of its true 
meaning likely to lead us into '' a form of godliness, 
but denying the power thereof? " 

The meaning of the phrase, " Word of God," was 
settled down upon as the starting point for this 
discourse. And it does not seem necessary to stop 
to argue about " the thoughts and intents of the 
heart." It is possible for men to differ as to what 
that means, of course. It is possible for men to do 
almost anything that is queer. It is safe enough 
to assume, however, that '*' the thoughts and intents 
of the heart " are the purposes and determinations 
of men. It will readily occur to every one who stops 
to think, that human actions are but the carrying 
out of thoughts, plans, schemes, intentions, pur- 
poses. Such purposes and intentions are sometimes, 
called motives, because they move us to action." 
The man who commits murder first forms in his 
heart *' the thoughts and intents " to kill. These 
conceptions of the mind and desires of the heart go 
before the actual commission of crimes. The Word 
of God is said to be a discerner of such thoughts 
and intents of the heart. 

" Discerner." This word is not of frequent use, 
nor of doubtful meaning. It is not often seen in 



THE AVORD OF GOD. 233 

print nor heard in discourse. If we may rely upon 
good concordances, this word occurs no other place 
in the common version of the English New Testa- 
ment, save in the text. The Greek word of which 
it is h ere a translation is also of rare use in the 
Greek New Testament. In fact, it is found no other 
place in the Greek New Testament, in its substan- 
tive form, save in the text. It is somewhat remark- 
able that the only place where this Greek word 
occurs in the Greek New Testament, it is translated 
in the common English version by an English word 
which is never used to translate any other New 
Testament Greek word. The Greek word is Tcritikos, 
and its English equivalent, discerner. 

The English word, " discerner," is defined, " one 
who sees, discovers, or distinguishes ; an observer ; 
one who knows and judges ; that which distin- 
guishes, or that which causes to understand." 

The Greek word, hritikos^ is defined, *' critical, 
exact, particular, accurate, judicious, ingenious, 
shrewd, intelligent, judging, judicial, controver- 
sial," when used as an adjective. When used as a 
substantive, as in the text, it is defined, " a critic, 
censor, censurer, a judge." 

There can be no uncertainty, therefore, as to the 
exact meaning of the text. In plain words, the 
writer is saying that those who propose to be gov- 
erned by God's law, must account for the thoughts 
and intents of the heart as well as for the actions 
of the body; What the body may not do, the 



234 TEXAS PULPIT. 

Tieart must not think nor intend to do. Principles 
of human government may apply only to overt 
acts of treason and crime, but " the word of God" 
calls into judgment the very thoughts and intents 
of the heart. It is well, therefore, to exhort, " Let 
ns labor to enter into that rest, lest any man fall 
after the same example of unbelief." Heb. 4 : 11. 
It is certainly no easy matter to stand before a 
law which calls for a strict account of all our ac- 
tions ; but when we are reminded that the rule by 
which we are to walk measures even the secret 
thoughts and intents of the heart, the danger of 
falling becomes truly alarming. And, as if to 
give us another final warning, the thought is, if 
possible, put more forcibly in the words, "Neither 
is their any creature that is not manifest in his 
sight, for all things are naked and open unto the 
eyes of him with whom we have to do." Heb. 4 : 13. 
Nothing can be concealed. He reads our hearts 
as an open book, and applies his laws to our se- 
cret thoughts as unsparingly as to our most open 
conduct. 

This is no new doctrine to the careful student of 
the sermon on the Mount. " Ye have heard that it 
was said by them of old time, ' Thou shalt not 
commit adultery,' but I say unto you, that whoso- 
ever looketh on a woman to lust^after her hath 
committed adultery with her already in his heart." 
Matt. 5 : 27,28. This language of the Master has 
never been considered of doubtful meaning. It 



THE WORD OF GOD. 235 

has always been understood to teach that the man 
who allows his heart to conceive the thought and 
intention to do a wrong, is himself guilty of that 
wrong. To the same effect we quote the Master's 
words to his disciples, " For out of the heart pro- 
ceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, 
thefts, false witness, blaphemies: These are the 
things which defile a man," Matt. 15 : 19 , 20. 
While sin is yet in the heart, God condemns it. 
When it is but a conception of the mind, a desire 
of the heart, it defiles a man. There is danger in 
those who go about " in sheep's clothing, but in- 
wardly they are ravening wolves." If the heart 
be not pure, the life can not be kept blameless. 
" Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of 
thistles ? Even so every good tree bringeth forth 
good fruit ; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil 
fruit," Matt. 7 : 16,17. It is in the thoughts of the 
heart, that evil begins. Sin is but the legitimate 
fruit of evil thoughts. " Then, when lust hath 
conceived, it bringeth forth sin ; and sin, when it is 
finished, bringeth forth death," James 1:15. God 
requires us to keep careful watch over the 
" thoughts and intents of the heart." God's word 
is a discerner of "the thoughts and intents of the 
heart." A discerner is a critic, a censor, a censurer, 
a judge. Nothing can be concealed from God. 
His law applies to the deepest secrets as well as to 
the most open crimes. 

The theological world has always been of one 



236 TEXAS PULPIT. 

mind, touching rhe importance of making pure the 
hearts of men. Those who claim no part in the 
joy of souls redeemed, yet who "believe in the 
theory of Christianity, and long for some assur- 
ance of sins forgiven, have ever realized the im- 
portance of having the heart purified. In the long 
ago, Peter stood boldly up in Jerusalem and de- 
clared that God put no difference between Jews 
and Gentiles, " purifying their hearts by faith. '^ 
Acts 15 : 9. But with all this, there seems to be 
some confusion in the world as to how the heart 
by faith can be made pure. It is in point to sug- 
gest that much of the faith that is abroad in the 
land does not purify the heart. It is not orthodox 
faith, nor evangelical faith, nor historical faith, 
nor faith in any church, as the world goes, that 
purifies hearts. One may be a very good sort of 
person, in a general way, and have a large stock of 
faith of one sort and another, and even be able to 
say a fairly good prayer, and discriminate very 
nicely between orthodoxy and heresy, and yet 
never feel sharply pricked in the heart by the con- 
viction that " the word of God is ... a dis- 
cerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart." 
It is at this particular point that faith, to purify 
the heart, must come out clear and bold and 
strong. Once a man really believes that he must 
account for the thoughts and intents of the heart, 
he will cleanse his heart of all improper thoughts 
and intents. That makes a pure heart. It was 



THE WORD or GOD. 237 

faith that purified it. It is in point to remark that 
Peter did not exclude prayer, penitence, medita- 
tion, vows, the Holy Spirit, or the blood of Christ, 
when he declared that hearts are purified by faith. 
All these things will the man call to his assistance 
quick enough, when once he realizes that God con- 
demns sin in his heart. But these helps are 
always at command. The trouble is to induce 
men to apply them. It is faith that sets the work 
a moving. And that faith must especially come 
out bold and strong against sin in the thoughts 
and intents of the heart. It is not difiicult to un- 
derstand how faith purifies the heart, if we but 
remember that an essential part of faith is the 
conviction that the soul will be damned if the 
heart is allowed to conceive thoughts and intents 
impure. No man can be an intelligent, consistent 
believer in Christianity without keeping his heart 
pure. His faith compels him to be as watchful of 
his heart-secrets as of his open conduct. Faith 
purifies the heart as well as the life, and in the 
same way. 

It is well to remember, in this connection, that 
Peter has said the soul is purified in obeying the 
truth. "Seeing ye have 'purified your souls in 
obeying tlie truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned 
love of the brethren, see that ye love one another 
with a pure heart fervently." (I. Peter 1 : 22.) 
Some further light may be thrown upon the subject 
by Paul's statement, " Ye have obeyed from the 



238 TEXAS PULPIT. 

heart that form of doctrine which was delivered 
you, being then made free from sin, ye became the 
servants of righteousness." (Rom. 6 : 17, 18.) The 
order seems clear enough. Preaching in those 
days was something different from much that we 
hear now-a-days. The object of every sermon then 
was to reach the heart. To that end men were 
plainly told in straightforward style that they were 
sinners. They were told that even in the very 
thoughts of their hearts they were " not right in 
the sight of God." It was " by wicked hands " 
the Lord of Glory was " crucified and slain." The 
world was given to understand, in words of no^ 
doubtful meaning, that Christianity went deeper in 
its requirements than mere conventional etiquette 
about forms and ceremonies. Those who heard the 
Master's scathing denunciation of the " Scribes, 
Pharisees, hypocrites," were deeply impressed with 
the idea that Christianity had to do with the hearts 
and souls of men. They understood clearly that, 
as Jesus rated men, one could be a member of the 
orthodox church of those days in good standing, 
and yet be but a loathsome, whited sepulcher. 
Preaching like that could have but one effect on 
those who believed it. ''When they heard this 
they were pricked in their heart," and *' obeyed 
from the heart that form of doctrine which was de- 
livered them," and, " seeing" they had "purified" 
their " souls in obeying the truth," they were " then 
made free from sin and became the servants of 



THE WORD OF GOD. 239 

righteousness." There was no such thing as sub- 
mitting to a mere outward ordinance with the true 
believers. The truth was preached straight at the 
heart. When the hearer believed it, he was pricked 
in the heart. When he obeyed the form of doctrine 
delivered to him, it was not with him a mere formal 
submission to an outward ordinance, as a sign of 
an inward grace. He obeyed the form of doctrine 
from the heart. In an obedience like this he puri- 
fied his soul. Paul, indeed, speaks of those who 
formally submitted to mere ordinances as '^ having 
a form of godliness, but denying the power there- 
of." (II. Tim. 3: 5.) Such pretentions are vain 
and contemptible. 

Come to think about regeneration in connection 
with the Scriptural doctrine of ^' the Word of God " 
being " a discerner of the thoughts and intents of 
the heart," the thought at once suggests itself that 
this heartful obedience which purifies the soul can- 
not fall far short of genuine regeneration. The 
faith that pricks the heart, cleanses the soul, and 
drives all improper thoughts and intents out of the 
mind as being sinful before God and defiling to the 
man, might well be said to make us new creatures 
in Christ Jesus. There is an actual putting off of 
'•the old man with his deeds." A righteous life 
ever afterwards flows out from a purified heart, like 
a clear stream from a cleansed fountain. It is not 
so much in outward demonstrations of joy at some 
mysterious and miraculous change that comes over 



240 TEXAS PULPIT. 

the spirit of his dreams, that the new-born sonl in 
Christ proclaims his assurance of sins forgiven • 
but it is in that loving obedience from the heart 
which intelligently lays hold of the promises of 
God, that he is enabled to say assuredly that " old 
things have passed av/ay, and, behold, all things 
have become new." He feels and knows that his 
heart is purified, that his soul is cleansed, and that 
his whole being is regenerated, because he has re- 
ceived into a good and honest heart the " Word of 
God, which is the seed of the kingdom of heaven." 
And he promptly banishes from " the thoughts and 
intents of the heart" everything of an impure 
nature, because in his faith he is assured that " the 
Word of God is .... a discerner of the 
thoughts and intents of the heart." He allows no 
secret sinful intents to defile him, because he is 
assured in his faith that " all things are naked and 
open unto the eyes of him with whom we have to 
do." 



SERMON XX. 

SELF-DEJSTIAL. 

By J. C. Mason. 

Text. — " If any man will come after me, let him deny him- 
self, and take up his cross, and follow me." Matt. 16 : 24. 

It will help us to understand this language of 
the Savior, if we will notice that he had just been 
showing his disciples, " how that he must go unto 
Jerusalem and suffer many things of the elders 
and chief priests and scribes, and be killed and 
be raised again the third day." 

The idea of a suffering Savior was repulsive to 
the disciples. They were hoping for a conquering 
king. " The lion of the tribe of Judah," must, 
with strength, splendor and power, hurl back the 
despised and oppressive Romans, wreaking ven- 
glance on them, and with a high hand and an out- 
stretched arm, restore again the kingdom of 
Israel to its ancient greatness and glory. And in 
all probability these disciples felt that they, hav- 
ing left all to follow him, might reasonably expect 
places of honor and trust in that kingdom. Fur- 
thermore, for about three years he had been their 
leader, teacher and king. They were beginning to 

241 



242 TEXAS PULPIT. 

learn that " without me ye can do nothing.'^ 
What wonder, then, that they should be astonished 
and ready to remonstrate at this doctrine of self- 
denial and cross-bearing, and say, with Peter, " be 
it far from thee, Lord, this shall not be unto thee.'^ 
Jesus must teach them their mistake. " The cap- 
tain of their salvation must be made perfect 
through suffering." And they must learn that 
" whosoever would save his life should lost it, and 
that whosoever would lose his life for my sake 
shall find it." Strange, wonderful doctrine — ^yet 
how true. 

Let us now, with some care, endeavor to bring 
out some of the prominent thoughts in the text. 
First, if any man — any man — Jew or Greek, bond 
or free, high or low, elect or non-elect, whosoever 
will! 

Jesus rises above his surroundings, and offers 
the blessings of his kingdom to all the world, to 
every creature. He is to break down the middle 
wall of partition between Jew and Gentile, and 
out of the twain make one new man. This could 
be nothing less than a divine conception. 

But next, if any man will. God has created us 
intelligent beings ; has given us will power ; and 
now he comes to us, while the real, ^. e., the spir- 
itual man, is being developed, and holds before 
our minds his Son, also the Son of man, a perfect 
model, and says to us : " If you will^ you may be 
like him." Will what? Why, will come. Jesus 



SELF-DENIAL. 243 

said come. " The Spirit and tlie bride say come, 
and whosoever will, let him come." 

But, says an objector, Jesus said, no man can 
come to me except the Father which sent me draw 
him. True, but he says in the same connection, 
"They shall be all taught of God. Every man 
therefore that hath heard and hath learned of the 
Father cometh unto me." John 6 : 44, 45. 

" But, Paul says we are saved by grace." 
Eph. 2 : 8. Yes, but he also says that " the grace 
of God which bringeth salvation hath appeared 
unto all men, teaching us." Titus 2:11. And 
John says that grace and truth came by Jesus 
Christ. So, while it is true that before Christ 
came we were lost, unable to find the right way to 
live — without the truth, and without a clear hope 
of eternal life — it is also true that he became unto 
us the way, by living before us the right way ; 
the truth, by teaching us tlie truth ; and the life, 
by going down into the gloom of the tomb and 
bringing life and immortality to light by his 
resurrection from the dead. When, then, we say 
that any man can come to Christ, if he will, we 
say it in full view of the fact that we are this side 
of the life of Christ on earth, of his atoning blood, 
of his resurrection from the dead, of his offered 
mercy to all the world and every creature, and of 
his promise to be with his proclaimed gospel 
always, even unto the end of the world. So, we 
see that all has been done for us that we could 



244 TEXAS PULPIT. 

not do for ourselves, and unfailing aid is promised 
us in our efforts to follow Christ, and, therefore, 
that all may come, if they will. 

But, the inquirer says, " Come where ? Come 
how ? There are so many ways, so many theories, 
I know not which is right, nor what to do." 

But, notice, you are not required to accept the 
theories nor doctrines of denominations, but to 
deny yourself, and take up your cross, and follow 
Christ. A personal following of a personal Savior. 
There is no greater fallacy than that very common 
saying, that " it makes no difference what a man 
believes, so that he is honest in it." Or, that not 
uncommon practice of looking about us for a 
church that suits us, and joining it for that reason. 
There is no self-denial in that, at all. Whereas, 
every step of the way to Christ requires self-denial 
and cross-bearing. 

The first requirement is faith in Jesus as the 
Christ. " God so loved the world that he gave his 
onl}^ begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Mm 
might not perish, but have everlasting life." Jno. 
3 : 16. " These (things) are written that you might 
believe that Jesus is the Christ." Jno. 20 : 30. 
"Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt 
be saved." Acts 16 : 32. These, and many other 
Scriptures, teach the imperative necessity of faith 
in Christ. But the average man has formed a 
habit of believing in himself. We are all egotists, 
to a greater or less extent. We are unwilling to 



SELF-DENIAL. 245 

put ourselves in the hands of another, so long as 
we feel capable of guiding our own frail barques 
over the ocean of time. And we must needs crucify 
the flesh — deny ourselves — before we are willing to 
put our trust in Christ, and to cry out with Saul, 
" Lord, what wilt tliou have 7ne to do ? " 

Again, he commands us to repent, and with full 
purpose of heart, trusting him for the promised 
help, turn away from our sins ; turn away from evil 
habits and associations ; from covetousness, which 
is idolatry ; from lying ; from the tricks of trade ; 
from the bar-room, the ball-room, and all that 
would come between us and the pure and sinless 
Christ, or that might influence others to Avalk in the 
way that leads to death. In our own strength we 
cannot do this ; but remember that he promises to 
help us at every step of the way, and we are to 
deny ourselves and follow him. 

Then, we are to confess him. " He that will con- 
fess me before men, him will I also confess before 
my Father which is in heaven." " With the heart, 
man believeth unto righteousness, and with the 
mouth confession is made unto salvation." Many 
shrink from a public confession of Christ, forgetting 
the promise that they shall be confessed before the 
Father. Bat we venture to say that no one ever 
sincerely denied himself to confess the Christ as 
the Son of God and Savior, but found it a joy to 
make the good confession. 

And now, we must be baptized. Perhaps no 



246 TEXAS PULPIT. 

command between us and the Church of Christ re- 
quires greater self-denial than the command to be 
baptized. We can see no reason for doing this. 
If we obey, we do it because he commands it. If 
persons were to expect to merit a blessing by this 
act, or to receive some spiritual power from, or in, 
the water, they might selfishly submit to the rite ; 
but only those who can deny themselves will obey 
simply because Christ commanded them. An in- 
telligent lady once said to me (and many persons 
have said substantially the same) : "Bro. M., I can 
understand and believe the gospel as you preach 
it, and would accept and obey it if I could do so 
without going down into the water. I was raised 
by Pedo-Ba]3tist parents, and have heard immersion 
ridiculed until I have a perfect horror of the water, 
and feel as if I could not submit to baptism." I 
replied that " self-denial and cross-bearing were 
necessary, if we would follow Christ, and told her 
to remember she would be buried loitli Christ in 
baptism — that Christ would go down into the water 
with her, and help her to bear the trials of the 
way." Some time after this, I had the jjleasure of 
baptizing this believing penitent, and she told me 
that she found the yoke easy and the burden light. 
I^ow, all admit that to believe in Christ with all 
the heart — i. e., all the ability that we have — to 
turn away from sin ; to confess Christ before men; 
and to be baptized into Christ, is to put on Christ — 
become a member of his body — his church — is to 



SELF-DENIAL. 247 

Ibecome a Christian, a child of God, an heir of 
heaven. But the work of self-denial must go on 
yet. 

We must contend earnestly for the faith. We 
must steadfastly refuse to become religious parti- 
sans. We must not be for Paul, Apollos, or 
Cephas, but for Christ. We must study the things 
that make for peace. We must be ready to yield 
in all matters of opinion or mere inference. We 
must earnestly endeavor to keep the unity of the 
Spirit in the bond of peace. We must continue 
steadfast in the apostles' teaching, in prayers, and 
in breaking of bread. We should steadily strive 
to enlarge our own faith, liberality, and zeal, real- 
izing that we are not our own, but are bought with 
a price. We should give ourselves wholly to the 
work of the Lord. Whatever be our vocation or 
station in life, we should labor, as in the sight of 
the Lord, and with a prayerful effort, to bring our 
fellow-travelers within range of the saving influ- 
ences of the gospel of Christ. Let us never forget 
that our mission is world wide, age long, and to 
every creature. Oh ! that preachers would be more 
unselfish, and learn that to lose our lives in Christ 
is to find them, even here, and much more in the 
world to come. 



SERMOJSr XXI. 

ItlSEN WITH CHRIST. 

By S. L. Barker. 

Text. — "If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things 
which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of 
God." Col. 3:1. 

Colosse was a city of Phrygia, lying in the 
south-western part, in the vicinity of Laodicea 
and Hierapolis (4 : 13). Of the founding of the 
church at Colosse, no positive information is 
given. But it is quite certain that it was not by 
the apostle Paul, the author of this epistle, as he 
had not been seen by them in the flesh (2 : 1). 

As regards date and place of writing, it agrees 
with the epistle to the " saints " at Ephesus, and 
was sent by the same messenger, during Paul's 
first imprisonment at Rome (Col. 4 : 7, 8 ; Eph. 6 : 
21, 22). Hence, we might expect a remarkable 
agreement in the subject-matter of these produc- 
tions. In each of these, the faithful servant of 
God exhibits the fact that his mind is filled to 
overflowing with the glory and exaltation of the 
blessed Son of God, and sets forth the fact that it 
is the purpose of God, by the " grace which brings 

248 



KISEN WITH CHRIST. 249 

salvation," to unite "in one body men of all 
nations, climes and tongues, under the headship of 
Christ, where there is no " middle wall of parti- 
tion between Jews and Gentiles," "bond and free;" 
but all are one in Christ Jesus "(3 : 11). 

In both epistles, the discussion of the glorious 
doctrine of unity is followed by practical exhorta- 
tions that each member may receive as individ- 
uals, and profit thereby. Especially is this true 
of the letter to Colosse. That to the Ephesians is 
more of a contemplative nature, as there appears 
to have been no particular errors to correct at the 
time. But there was at Colosse some Judaizing 
influences, which sought to draw them away from 
the fullness that is in Christ, in the " one body," 
in the one " new man," to the abrogated law. 
Paul, therefore, informs them as to the ordinances 
contained in the law, that they were contrary to 
them, and that Jesus took them out of the way, 
nailing them to the cross ; and that henceforth 
they should let no man judge them by a law that 
had been fulfilled and vanished away, and which 
was only a shadow of things to come, or the 
church of the first born, of which Christ is " the 
Head, from which all the body, by joints and 
bands having nourishment ministered and knit 
together, increaseth with the increase of God ; " 
and being dead with Christ, (or separated) from 
the rudiments of the world, they were exhorted 
not to be subject to ordinances after the command- 



250 TEXAS PULPIT. 

ments of men, which only have a show of wisdom 
in will- worship. 

There is something better, higher, holier, in 
more honor to God, to be engaged in by the sons and 
daughters of the Lord Almighty. Hence, '' being 
risen with Christ," we should " seek those things 
which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right 
hand of God," placing our affections on things dbo^e^ 
not on things on the earth, for the reason that we 
are dead to (or separated from) things of a carnal 
nature, and our life is hid with Christ in God. 

What is it to be " risen with Christ ? " Can we 
know whether we have been raised with Christ ? 
If so, how ? 

We must be raised, in some sense like, or with, 
Christ. Paul says to the brethren at Ephesus that 
^' God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love 
wherewith he loved us, even when we were dead in 
sins, has quickened us together with Christ, (by 
^race are ye saved) and hath raised us up together^ 
and made us sit together in heavenly places in 
Christ Jesus." The apostle also says in the same 
connection, that they who first trusted in Christ 
should be to the praise of his glory, and adds, "In 
whom ye also trusted^ after that ye heard the 
word of truth, the gospel of your salvation." We 
learn from this, that before persons can trust in 
Christ, they must hear the " word of truth, the 
gospel." And it is further discovered that they 
believed after they heard, and before they were 



EISEN WITH CHRIST. 251 

recipients of the Holy Spirit (Eph. 1 : 13). There- 
fore, we conclude that the gospel is tJie power of 
God unto salvation, to those who will accept it 
(Rom. 1 : 16), that faith, is produced by hearing 
the word of truth, and that without the gospel 
there is no faith ; and without faith it is impossi- 
ble to please God. So, in order to please God in 
obedience, we must hear the gospel. 

And the gospel must be preached, in order to 
be heard; for, "how shall they hear without a 
preacher, and how shall they preach except they 
be sent." Paul says, "We have received grace 
and apostleship for obedience to the faith among 
all nations, for his name " (Rom. 1 : 5), and in the 
closing of the letter to the Romans, that the reve- 
lation is made known to all nations for the ohe- 
dience of faith. An act, then, to be acceptable to 
God, must be an act of faith. Hence, an act 
prompted by faith is an act of obedience of the 
faith. Peter says, " Seeing you have purified your 
souls in obeying the truths 

Paul says, " The law of the spirit of life in 
Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of 
sin and death." 

James says, " Whoso looketh into the perfect 
laio of liberty and continue th therein, he being 
not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this 
man shall be blessed in his deed." 

From tlie foregoing quotations from the inspired 
record, it is quite certain that no one can be risen 



252 TEXAS PULPIT. 

with Christ withont hearing, believing, and obeying 
the gospel, for " the Lord God hath spoken it." 
The Christ, standing this side of the tomb, with one 
hand pointing back over the quiet dust of more 
than seventy generations, and the other pointing 
forward to the end of time, says, " I am the resur- 
rection and the life." " All power is given unto 
me in heaven and in earth. Go ye, therefore, and 
teach all nations, baptizing them into the name of 
the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit." 
This is the first commission that reaches to ''all 
nations for. obedience to the faith," and to this we 
must come to find how men and women are raised 
up to a new life with Christ, and into a position to 
" seek for glory, honor, immortality, eternal life — 
those things which are above, where Christ sitteth 
on the right hand of God." 

In this commission the Son of God is represented 
as having received all authority. " Therefore, we 
ought to give the more earnest heed to the things 
which we have heard, lest at any time we should 
let them slip. For if the, word spoken by angels 
was steadfast, and every transgression and dis- 
obedience received a just recompense of reward ; 
how shall we escape if we neglect so great salva- 
tion ; which at the first began to be spoken by the 
Lord, and was confirmed unto us by those that 
heard him." (Heb. 2 : 1-3.) 

From this quotation it will be found that the great 
salvation is a spoken salvation, and that it first- 



RISEN WITH CHRIST. 253 

began to be spoken, not by Abraham, Moses, or 
John the Baptizer, but by our blessed Lord. And 
since he was the first that began to speak it, it fol- 
lows that no one ever spoke it before. Further- 
more, we should be careful not to confound this 
salvation with others, such as the salvation of 
Israel, Noah, or any of those who found favor with 
God prior to the advent of Jesus, who is the 
anointed of the Father, full of grace and truth. 
When, then, did the Lord begin to " speak " this 
great salvation ? Was it when the hungry multi- 
tude thronged him on account of the ' ■ loaves and 
fishes ? " 

As he is the author of eternal salvation, he did 
not begin to speak it before he became its author. 
In the ninth verse of the fifth chapter of Hebrews, 
it is said that, " Being made perfect, he became the 
author of eternal salvation to all them that obey 
him." Let us see when he was made perfect, as 
regards his authority and power. 

"For it became him, for whom are all things, 
and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons 
unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation 
perfect, through sufiering." Here it is most em- 
phatically stated that he became the author of 
salvation after he was made perfect, and that he 
was made perfect through his sufferings. There- 
fore, after he had grappled with death, and was 
declared to be the Son of God with power, accord- 
ing to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection 



254 TEXAS PULPIT. 

from the dead, lie called around Mm those who 
had Ibeen hearing lessons from his sacred lips for 
three years, and gave them this unlimited commis- 
sion, with the assurance that *' it shall not be you 
that speak, but the Spirit shall speak in you." 
" But tarry ye in Jerusalem until you be endued 
with power from on high." 

Pentecost finds them all with one accord in one 
place, at Jerusalem, when the Spirit comes in con- 
firmation of the fact that Jesus is glorified at the 
right hand of the majesty on high, and the apostles 
step forth to declare the gospel to a perishing 
world, declaring that Christ died, was buried, and 
rose from the dead. In this doctrine^ we see there 
is a death, a burial, and a being raised again, or 
resurrection. 

In perfect accord with the preaching of Peter, 
Paul says to the brethren at Rome, " You were the 
servants of sin, but you have obeyed from the 
heart that form of doctrine which was delivered 
you. Being then made free from sin, you became 
the servants of righteousness." (Rom. 6 : 17, 18.) 
What was the form % Death, burial, and resurrec- 
tion. For, " How shall we that are dead to sin live 
any longer therein? Do you not know that as 
many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were 
baptized into his (^(?a^A, . . . and like as Christ 
was raised up from the dead, by the glory of the 
Father, enien so, loe also should walk in newness of 
life." 



RISEN WITH CHRIST. 255 

When did the resurrection, or new life, begin 
with Christ ? When the Father raised him from 
the dead. When does the new life begin with us ? 
'' Even so, ice also should walk in newness of life." 

But perhaps the reader is ready to say that bap- 
tism is only a burial ? Turn with us to the second 
chapter of Colossians and twelfth verse, " Buried 
with him in baptism, wherein, also, ye are risen 
Willi Mm, through the faith of the operation of God, 
who hath raised him from the dead." So we are 
not only buried in baptism, but raised also, raised 
with Christ. Bear reader, have you been buried 
in baptism ? If not, vain is your claim to have 
been raised with him. And, if not raised with him, 
you have no claim to the inheritance with the 
saints in light. 

For it is by obeying the form of doctrine that we 
are made free from sin, and become the servants of 
righteousness. (E,om. 6:18.) To whom we yield 
ourselves servants to obey, his servants we are, to 
whom we become obedient. 

It is quite certain that it is by the obedience of 
faith that we enter into the new, or Christian life. 
" Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience 
by the things that he suffered." He humbled him- 
self, and became obedient unto death, even the 
death of the cross. 

As the newness of life, in which the Christian is 
admonished to walk, begins when we are raised 
with Christ, we ought to give earnest heed, lest a 



256 TEXAS PULPIT. 

promise being left us, we should come sliort of it. 
For if they escaped not that refused him that spake 
on earth, vre cannot expect to be found guiltless if 
we refuse him that speaks from heaven. He that 
despised Moses' law died without mercy. Of how 
much greater punishment shall we be deserving, if 
we tramjDle under our feet the Word of God, in 
these last days spoTcen by his Son, who is the man- 
ifestation of his glory, and the express image of 
his person ! 

Though he was rich in glory^ yet he became 
poor, that we, through his poverty, migjit be made 
rich. He was made like unto his brethren, that he 
might be a merciful and faithful high priest, to 
make reconciliation for the sins of men. Having 
experienced temptation, he is able to succor them 
that are tempted. 

But how are we raised tcith Cliristf TVe have 
already seen, by numerous Scriptures, that in order 
to be "risen with Christ," we must be "buried in 
baptism, and raised through the faith of the opera- 
tion of God.'' It must be remembered that the 
baptism of the Bible is "the obedience of faith," 
and hence is preceded by faith, which changes the 
heart. (Acts 15 : 9.) Baptism is not only preceded 
by faith, but a repentance, which results in a 
change of conduct, or life. 

Repentance and remission of sins were to be 
preached in his name, among all nations, beginning 
at Jerusalem. When the sinner hears of the won- 



EISEjS" with CHRIST. 257 

derful goodness of God, that while we were sinners 
he sent his Son into the world to save that which was 
lost, he can no longer despise the riches of his 
goodness, forbearance and long-suffering, and is 
led to repentance. (Rom. 2 : 4.) 

The order of heaven is : First, fact ; second, 
hearing ; third, faith ; fourth, obedience of faith ; 
fifth, salvation in Christ, or remission of sins. 

In the "obedience of faith " is included the good 
confession, Not the confession of the feelings and 
promptings of our own sinful hearts, or that " God, 
for Christ's sake, has forgiven our sins,'' for we 
have no examples of this kind in the law of the 
Lord, which is perfect. 

Confessing Christ. What does it mean ? And 
how is it done ? Paul says, " With the hearty man 
believeth unto righteousness ; and with the mouth, 
confession is made unto salvation." (Rom. 10 : 10.) 
We learn two very important items from the above. 
1st. That with the heart man believes. If it be 
true, then, that man believes^ we will be offering 
our prayers in vain, if we ask God to give us faith. 
2nd. That there is a confession to be made with 
the mouth unto salvation. " Fight the good fight 
of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou 
art also called, and hast professed a good profession 
before many witnesses." (I. Tim. 6 : 12). 

In order to be saved from sin, become a member 
of the " one body," or " raised with Christ to w^alk 
in newness of life," we must hear the gospel, for it 

17 



258 TEXA.S PULPIT. 

is tlie power of God unto salvation. We must be- 
lieve the gospel, as it is onlj the power to save 
those that believe it. (Rom. 1 : 16.) If we are 
saved without the gospel, we are saved by some 
other power than that of God. In the gospel, God 
has made known his goodness, love, and mercy, to 
the children of men ; hence, it is in the gospel that 
we learn of the infinite goodness and mercy of God, 
that touches and tenders the obstinate and stubborn 
heart, arid causes it to reflect " that God so loved 
the world that he gave " the richest boon of heaven, 
that we might live and enjoy the companionship of 
all the good of earth and the angels in the eternal 
city, in the presence of the Almighty Father and 
the Lamb who died for us, throughout the ceaseless 
ages of eternity. And though we be deeply stained 
by sin, he has made provisions for us, that we may 
be washed and made whiter than snow. When 
we become filled with sorrow for the deeds of our 
past lives, we are enabled to " love God, because 
he first loved us." This "godly sorrow" fills us 
with a determination to turn away from sin. 
" Cease to do evil, and learn to do well," or repent 
of our sins. 

Anciently, and in the examples of the New Tes- 
tament, after persons heard and believed the gos- 
pel they repented of their sins and confessed the 
Christ, they were then ''buried with Christ by 
baptism into death, and raised up to walk in new- 
ness of life." And such were those contemplated 



/ 



RTSEIT WITH CHRIST. 259 

in the text, " If ye then be risen with Christ, seek 
those things which are above, where Christ sitteth 
on the right hand of God." 

Faith is a wonderful word. Without it, all is 
dark and dreary. It brings heaven and earth so 
near that we can almost see the tree of life and the 
crystal river, and hear the sweet strains of music 
from the redeemed, as it rolls over the flowery hills 
of that better land, and the shouts of joy when a 
sinner turns from his wickedness, and a new son 
or daughter is born into the family of God. It is by 
faith that we bear the cross, despise the shame, 
and by it we will, ere long, ''enter in through the 
gates into the city." 

Joy on earth, the Lord revived ! Joy to the poor, 
for he brings them "unsearchable riches." Joy to 
the rich, for he teaches them how to use riches for 
his glory. Joy to the suffering, for he whispers, 
" Peace, be still." Joy to the thirsty, for the 
" water of life " flows freely from the summit of 
Calvary. Joy to the hungry, for he brings them 
the " bread of life." Joy to the captives, for he 
offers freedom from sin. Joy to the dying, for he 
has " abolished death, and brought life and immor- 
tality to light." Joy to the homeless, for he has 
" gone to prepare a place for you." Joy to the 
'' desert places " in human life, for his love is as 
boundless as his mercy, and its crystal tides will 
flow on forever. Joy to the whole earth, for the 
sun will never set on the advancing columns of the 



260 TEXAS PULPIT. 

victorious army. Joy to all who are " risen with 
Christ," and are " seeking those things which are 
above, where he sitteth on the right hand of God," 
for unto such, he will come again, bringing the re- 
ward of righteousness, and an eternal benediction 
to those who love his appearing. Dear reader, 
will you he of that Jiappy numb erf Until then, 

ADIEU. 



SERMO]^ XXII. 

THE LORD'S SUPPER. 
By E. L. Dohoney. 

This great memorial service was instituted by 
the Lord, as appears from the New Testament his- 
tory thereof (as we find it in the revised version), 
as follows, to-wit : 

Matthew, in the twenty-sixth chapter of his Gos- 
pel, records it in the following words, viz : 

"Now on the first day of unleavened bread, the 
disciples came to Jesus saying, Where wilt thou 
that we make ready for thee to eat the passover ? 
xlnd he said. Go into the city unto such a man, and 
say unto him, The Master says, my time is at 
hand ; I keep the passover at thy house, with my 
disciples. And the disciples did as Jesus ap- 
pointed them ; and they made ready the passover. 
Now, when even was come, he was sitting at meat 
with the twelve disciples ; and as they were eat- 
ing, he said, Yerily I say unto you, that one of you 
shall betray me. And they were exceeding sor- 
rowful and began to say unto him every one, Is it 
I. Lord? And he answered, and said. He that 
diuped his hand with me in the dish shall betray 

261 



262 TEXAS PULPIT. 

me. The Son of Man goetli even as it was written 
of him; but woe unto that man, through whom 
the Son of Man is betrayed ! Good were it for that 
man, if he had not been born. And Judas which 
betrayed him, answered and said, Is it I, E-abbi ? 
He saifch unto him. Thou has said. And as they 
were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed and 
brake it ; and he gave to the disciples, and said, 
Take, eat ; this is my body. And he took a cup 
and gave thanks, and gave to them, saying. Drink 
ye all of it, for this is my blood of the covenant, 
which is shed for many unto remission of sins. 
But I say unto you, I will not drink henceforth of 
this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink 
it new with you, in my Father's kingdom. 

Mark, in the fourteenth chapter of his Gospel, 
says : " And as they were eating, he took bread, 
and when he had blessed, he brake it, and gave to 
them, and said. Take ye ; this is my body. And 
he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he 
gave to them, and they all drank of it. And he 
said unto them, This is my blood of the covenant, 
which is shed for many. Yerily I say unto you, I 
will no more drink of the fruit of the vine, until 
that day when I drink it new in the Kingdom of 
God. And when they had sung a hymn, they went 
out unto the Mount of Olives." 

Luke, in the twenty-second chapter of his Gos- 
pel, records the same facts, as follows, viz., " And 
when the hour was come, he sat down and the 



THE lord's supper. 263 

apostles with Mm. And he said unto them, With 
desire I have desired to eat this Passover with 
you. before I suffer ; for I say unto you, I will not 
eat it, until it be fulfilled in the Kingdom of God. 
And he received a cup, and when he had given 
thanks, he said. Take this and divide it among 
yourselves, for I say unto you, I will not drink 
from henceforth of the fruit of the vine until the 
Kingdom of God shall come. And he took bread, 
and when he had given thanks, he brake it and 
gave to them, saying. This is my body, which is 
given for you ; this do in rememhrance of me. 
And the cup, in like manner, after supper, saying, 
This cup is the New Covenant in my blood, even 
that which is poured out for you." 

But Paul more fully explains this Holy Supper 
in the eleventh chapter of I. Corinthians, as fol- 
lows, viz., " For I received of the Lord that which 
I also delivered unto you, how that the Lord Jesus 
in the night in which he was betrayed took bread, 
and when he had given thanks, he brake it and 
said. This is my body which is for you ; tliis do in 
remembrance of me. In like manner also, the 
cup, after supper, saying. This cup is the JSTew 
Covenant in my blood ; this do as oft as ye drinlc 
of it^ in remembrance of me. For as oft as jq 
eat this bread and drink the cup, ye proclaim the 
Lord's death, till he come. "Wherefore, whosoever 
shall eat the bread or drink the cup of the Lord 
in an unworthy manner, shall be guilty of the body 



264 TEXAS PFLPIT. 

and tlie blood of the Lord. But let a man prove 
himself, and so let him eat of the hread and drink 
of the cup. For he that eateth and drinketh, eat- 
eth and drinketh judgment unto himself, if he dis- 
cern not the body. For this cause many among 
you are weak and sickly, and not a few sleep. But 
if we discerned ourselves, we should not be 
judged. But when we are judged we are chastened 
of the Lord, that we may not be condemned with 
the world." 

The foregoing extracts, quoted from the revised 
version, fully set forth the institution and object of 
the Lord's Supper, so far as the Bible gives them. 
The first consideration which suggests itself to 
the mind, is the 



^ 



TIME, PLACE, AND OCCASIOJST, 



of this important event. The time, being the 
night on which he was betrayed, was intended to 
impress on the minds of his apostles the necessity 
of the great sacrifice that he was to make, in 
order to secure the salvation of man. The place 
was Jerusalem, the great city of David, and capital 
of Israel, the point to which the finger of prophecy 
had pointed as the place where the lamb was to 
be slain for the sins of the world, and the type of 
that new Jerusalem, into whose gold-paved streets 
the finally faithful are to enter. The occasion was 
the last observance of the Passover by Jesus and 



^ 



265 

his apostles. There seems to be an inseparable 
connection between the Passover and the Lord's 
supper. The Holy Supper seems to have grown 
out of the Passover ; and to be the grand sequel 
of it. What the Passover was to the Mosaic sys- 
tem, the Lord's supper is to the Christian system. 
The slaying of the Paschal lamb was typical of 
the lamb slain from the foundation of the world. 
And as the blood of the lamb on the door posts 
was the incidental means of saving the lives of all 
the families of Israel, on that eventful night when 
the Angel of the Lord passed over Egypt and 
killed the first born in every Egyptian family; 
so the blood of Jesus, in some mysterious way, is 
the means of securing eternal life to all who 
will accept the terms of the gospel. 

The next consideration to which attention is 
called, is the fact that the food used in the Lord's 
Supper was the same used in the Passover feast, 
viz., unleavened bread, and the " fruit of the vine,'^ 
that is, the pure, sweet juice of the grape. That 
the cup used was not fermented wine is apparent 
from several considerations. First, the Mosaic law 
forbade the use of anything ferlnented in the Pass- 
over feast, and the same material used in the 
Passover feast was used in the Lord's Supper. 
Second, all the witnesses testify that Christ called 
it "the cup," and the '' fruit of the mne,'^' and never 
wine. The "fruit of the vine " could mean noth- 
ing but the ripe grapes, or the sweet juice thereof, 



^66 TEXAS PULPIT. 

"because nothing fermented is fruit or food. Fer- 
mentation is a decomposing process, which destroys 
all the food properties of the fruit or grain so fer- 
naented. Fermentation destroys the sugar in the 
fruit, converting it into carbon, and producing 
alcohol ; and all scientists are agreed that alcohol 
is indigestible, and, therefore, not a food, but a 
poison. Christ could not have recognized decom- 
posed and fermented grape juice as food, and, 
therefore, could not have called it "the fruit of the 
vine." By frait of the vine, he could only mean 
the ripe grape, or the sweet juice of it. Third, fer- 
mentation is a decomposing and dying process, 
and, when completed, represents the death of the 
organic life of the fruit or plant ; and, therefore, 
fermented grape juice could not, and cannot, repre- 
sent the blood of Christ, which symbolizes truth, 
and is the basis of eternal life. It is, therefore, a 
perversion of the fundamental idea of this Holy 
Supper to use adulterated or fermented wine in its 
administration. It not only perverts the doctrine 
of eternal life, as taught by the Redeemer, but the 
fumes of alcoholic wine rouses the latent appetites 
of reformed drunkards, and causes many an honest, 
but weak, disciple to fall again into the meshes of 
this terrible habit. 

Having considered the nature and character of 
the food to be used in the Holy Supper, we natural- 
ly proceed to inquire what it signifies, or what is 
symbolized by the "loaf" and "cup," said by 



THE loed's suppee. 267 

Obrist to be his " broken body ^' and " slied blood." 
Roman Catholics hold, and even the great reform- 
er, Martin Luther, held, that this language must 
be taken literally, and that the bread is the real 
body and the cup the real blood of Jesus. We, in 
steering away from Scylla, have fallen into 
Chary bdis. We hold, and properly, that the lan- 
guage of Christ was figurative, but we have run off 
after the figure and forgotten the substance. Christ, 
after his resurrection, used this language : " Lo, I 
am with you alway, even to the end of the world." 
(Matt. 28 : 20.) But on another occasion, he said 
it was necessary for him to go away in person, in 
order, as we believe, that we should have an advo- 
cate and intercessor in the courts of heaven. But, 
said he, I will send the Comforter (meaning the 
Holy Spirit), who will abide with you until I come. 
And Paul, in his epistles to the churches, repeat- 
edly teaches that our bodies are the temples of the 
Holy Spirit. So we understand that Christ, in the 
form of the Holy Spirit, is always with us, and that 
without the aid of the Holy Spirit we could not live 
spiritual lives for a day, or even for a single mo- 
ment. But many professed Christians do not live 
spiritual lives, notwithstanding the Holy Spirit 
abides with them. This is because man is a free 
moral agent, and God will not force blessings on 
Mm against his will. If we willfully disobey the 
commandments, we interpose a cloud between us 
and God's Holy Spirit, which is ever present, 



268 TEXAS PULPIT. 

and ready to aid us in living the Christian life. 
Now, James informs us in the first chapter of his 
epistle that God is the great Father of lights, from 
whom Cometh down every good and perfect gift. 
The greatest gifts which God has "bestowed on man 
are spiritual and natural life ; but both are granted 
on conditions. Man has an agency to perform in 
everything, or he gets nothing. Take physical life, 
for instance, and its continuance depends on proper 
food, and also upon the constant inhaling of oxj^gen 
from the atmosphere. Our physical life depends 
for every moment of its existence upon the air we 
breathe. Let a man shut himself up in a close 
room, and exhaust the air, and he dies at once. 
Now, the continuation of our spiritual life is as 
dependent upon conditions as is the continuation 
of our physical life. As physical life depends 
upon the proper use of food and the constant in- 
haling of oxygen, just so spiritual life must be 
constantly inhaled from Christ, through the ever 
present Holy Spirit. We know this to be true, be- 
cause Christ said, " I am the vine, ye are the 
branches." (John 15:5.) The branches draw 
their life from the vine, and if cut off, wither and 
die at once. Now, we can see how it is that Christ, 
through the holy Spirit, is ever with us, and with- 
out his aid we could not live the Christian life a 
single day. We can no more do so than we could 
live the physical life without complying with its 
conditions. But what are the conditions upon 



THE loed's supper. 269 

which the spiritual life is dependent ? We cannot 
speak of them all in this connection ; among them 
are the study of God's Word, prayer, praise, and 
teaching, or preaching. But one of the main con- 
ditions, and the one to which our subject now con- 
fines us, is the regular and proper partaking of the 
Lord's Supper. It was the dying request of our 
blessed Redeemer to do this in memory of him un- 
til he comes again. And the Apostle Paul urges 
the brethren not to neglect to assemble themselves 
together, on the first day of the week, to show forth 
his death until he come. Here, then, we have the 
command of the Lord himself, to eat the supper 
until he comes the second time, in great glory and 
power, to reign on the earth. 

And we also have the command of the apostle, 
as well as the uniform practice of the early disci- 
ples, to meet on the first day of every week and 
show the death of Jesus by partaking of this Holy 
Supper. (I. Cor. 11 : 26.) In fact, it seems to be 
the primary and leading object of the Lord's day 
worship and service. Evidently, then, the proper 
obser^^ance of the Lord's Supper is one of the main 
conditions upon which spiritual life and health de- 
j)end. And although we do not believe, as the 
Roman Catholics do, that the unleavened bread 
used in the Lord's Supper is the literal body of 
Christ, yet we do believe that this loaf symbolizes 
the body of Christ, which he informs us in his holy 
Word is " the bread of life," and we further believe 



270 TEXAS PULPIT. 

that the spiritual body of Christ is present in the 
form of the Holy Spirit, to feed us with the bread 
of spiritual life, provided we partake of these em 
blems in the pro^Der spirit. We must examine 
ourselves and properly discern the body of Christ. 
And if we^do not, we eat and drink to our own con- 
demnation, and become particeps criminis in the 
very crucifixion of Christ. 

What an awful responsibility rests on the disci- 
ples of Christ as to a proper observance of this 
weekly feast ! If, in a spirit of levity or disobedi- 
ence, we refuse to obey this command, or, partici- 
pating, eat and drink to our own condemnation — 
then we become (as a lawyer would say) accessory 
after the fact to the murder of Christ, and no better 
than the Jews and Romans, who actually and 
wantonly killed him. 

While the bread symbolizes the body of Christ, 
which is the bread of spirital life to us, the cup 
represents his blood, which symbolizes God's truth, 
which alone can sanctify us. Christ, in his mem- 
orable prayer to the Father, recorded in the 17th 
chapter of John, says, "Sanctify them in truth; 
thy word is truth." 

So that we may safely assume, that in partaking 
of the loaf and the cap in the proper spirit, we 
have the guaranty of God's Word that Christ is 
present in the form of the Holy Spirit, and bestows 
on us the bread of sjjiritual life, and the truth 
which attains to eternal life. We can no more neg- 



271 

lect tne conditions of spiritual life than we can 
those of the physical life. If we refrain from the 
use of proper food, we decline and die physically. 
If we refuse to obey the command of Jesus and fail 
to partake of the Lord's Supper in proper spirit^ 
we will as surely decline and die spiritually. 
Hence, the importance, and, I may add, the abso- 
lute necessity of the proper observance of the 
Lord's Supper, becomes at once apparent. No hu- 
man being can lead a truly Christian life without 
the aid of the Holy Spirit. No person can have 
the co-operation of the Holy Spirit, and have it to 
bear witness with his spirit that he is a child of 
God, unless he obeys the commandments. One of 
these commandments is the dying request of the 
blessed Redeemer : " Do this in memory of me till 
I come." It is not only a command upon which 
salvation itself depends, but it is also a blessed 
and glorious privilege. It points us backward by 
faith to the cross, and brings to mind all that Jesus 
has done for us. It also points us forward by hope 
to the second coming of our Lord and Savior Jesus 
Christ — the great objective point of every true 
Christian life. 

When Jesus was first on the earth he had not 
where to lay his head ; he was persecuted on every 
hand, and ignominously crucified in order to secure 
salvation for all men. When he comes again, he 
will come in great power and glory, to fully estab- 
lish his kingdom on the earth, inaugurate peace 



272 TEXAS PULPIT. 

and harmony among men, and tO' secure eternal 
life to those who remain faithful by obeying the 
commandments. 

' That Christ is again to return to the earth in 
person, is evident from the following Scriptures. 
In Acts 1 : 9-11, we have these words : "And when 
he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he 
was taken up ; and a cloud received him out of 
their sight. And while they looked steadfastly 
towards heaven, behold two men stood by in white 
apparel, who also said. Ye men of Galilee, why 
stand ye here gazing up into heaven ; This same 
Jesus, who is taken up from you into heaven, shall 
so come in like manner as ye have seen him go 
into heaven. 

And in I. Thess. 4 : 16-18, we have this further 
statement : " For the Lord himself shall descend 
from heaven with a great shout, and with the voice 
of the arch-angel and the trump of God. And the 
dead in Christ shall rise first, and then we which 
are alive, that are left, shall be caught up together 
with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the 
air ; and so shall we ever be with the Lord." But 
it is said that the coming of our Lord will be like 
a thief in the night, and no man, will know the 
hour. We can only be ready to meet him, by 
being ever on the watch-tower, with lamps trimmed 
and burning. We must watch and pray ; and in 
the light of God's love, walk continually in the 
highway of his truth. This we can only do, by 



273 

obeying the commandments ; chief of which is to 
not neglect to assemble ourselves together on 
the first day the week, to show the death of the 
Lord until he come. 

If we do tills in remembrance of Mm till lie 
come^ we will be counted among the finally faith- 
ful, and entitled to enter the New Jerusalem, and 
forever have access, both to the river and tree of 
life. 

18 



SEEMON XXm. 

PRAYER. 

By C. Kendrick. 

Text. — " O come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel 
"before the Lord our Maker."— Ps. 95 : 6. 

In my long Bible meetings we investigate the 
subject of prayer in about the following 
order, and with the conclusions following: 1. 
What is prayer? Conclusion: The expression of 
a hearty desire. 2. To whom shall prayer be of- 
fered ? To the Father and Son only ; not to the 
virgin Mary, to the saints, or the Holy Spirit. 8. 
Who may pray with assurance of being heard? 
Citizens with pure hearts and clean hands. "If 
any man be a worshiper of God, him he heareth." 
4. What is the medium of approach to God? 
The name of Jesus, not " for his sake." 5. For 
what may we pray? Not for everything, but for 
such only as are consistent with his word. 6. 
What is the proper bodily attitude in prayer? 
Kneeling, or bowing down. 7. Should we be 
specific in prayer? Yes, we should tell God just 
what we desire. 8. Should we be importunate in 
prayer? Yes, we should " pray without ceasing." 

274 



PEAYER. 275 

9. Does prayer affect those who pray, and those 
who hear, and God ? Yes, it " prevails " with 
each. 10. How are prayers answered? By an- 
gels, by the Holy Spirit, by God's people, and by 
special, unexplained providences. 11. What 
about secret prayer? We should pray often 
within our closets. 12. What of public prayer i 
The ancient Christians prayed in their worshipping 
assemblies. 13. And what about prayer-meet- 
ings? The early Christians certainly had them. 
14. Should females pray in public ? They did 
anciently. 15. Should we have family prayers? 
Yes, by all means, both night and morning. 16. 
What of fasting and pra^^er ? The ancients both 
fasted and prayed. 17. What about works and 
prayer ? They should correspond. 18. What of 
the prayer of faith ? All prayer must be of faith. 
But I am to discourse on 

POSITIOIS- IIT PRAYER. 

Here, then, let us consider : 1. Has position any- 
thing to do with prayer ? If so, what ? 

I. History, observation and personal experience 
show that it is natural to rise up to meet and re- 
ceive friends, to stand in thanksgiving and praise, 
and to kneel, or boio down in prayer. Sitting ex- 
presses indifference. Standing erect, if it does 
not express pharisaical haughtiness, certainly 
does not correspond with an humble heart, or with 



276 TEXAS PULPIT. 

the natural instincts of our race, as shown in all 
ages and by all peoples. But 

II. WHAT DOES THE BIBLE TEACH ? 

IS'o one doubts that prayer may be heard in any 
posture or position of the body. This is not the 
question. "We all pray riding, walking, sitting, 
lying and standing. But when we assume a 
special position of the body to pray, what should 
that posture be ? Shall we " stand up to pray," 
as we are often told to do, or shall we sit, or kneel, 
or further prostrate ourselves, as an attitude most 
agreeable, or consistent with our humble, praying 
hearts ? 

The returned and deeply pentitent Jews "bowed 
their heads and worshipped the Lord with their 
faces to the ground." Neh. 8 : 7. David kneeled, 
and taught all Israel to kneel. Ps. 95:6. Solo- 
mon kneeled on his knees before all the people, as 
an example for all the people, and prayed the 
longest prayer in the Bible, at the dedication of 
the temple. II. Chron. 6: 12, 13; I. Kings 8: 50. 
He first stood upon the platform, and then kneeled 
down. Daniel kneeled and prayed three times a 
day — he kneeled to pray. This was the posture 
habitually assumed. Paul kneeled, (Eph. 3 : 14); 
and twice on the sea- shore, with women and chil- 
dren—at Miletus and at Tyre (Acts 20 : 36 ; 21 : 5). 
And Paul says that, as a token of submission. 



PKAYER. 277 

" every knee shall bow to Christ, in heaven, in 
earth, and in hades." Phil. 2 : 10. 

OF BOWmG DOWN, FALLING PEOSTEATE, ETC., 

Out of almost two hundred references, I give 
these as specimens (Ps. 22 : 29), "All that go down 
to the dust shall how; 72 : 9, They that dwell in 
the wilderness shall how before him ; " 78 : 31, 
" wrath of God made to how down chosen men." 
42 : 5. '* Why art thou bowed down, O my soul." 
Lev. 26 : 1. " JN'either get up any image to bow 
down to it." Isa. 60 : 14. " They that despise 
thee shall bow down to thee." Gen. 33 : 6. The 
handmaids bowed. Verse 7 : 6. Leah bowed 
with her children ; 43 : 36. Joseph's brethren 
bowed down to him (Ex. 34: 8). "Moses made 
haste and bowed his head and worshiped." Isa. 
2 : 11. " The haughtiness of man shall be bowed 
down." Num. 22 : 31. " Balaam bowed his head 
and fell flat on his face." Gen. 18 : 2. Abraham 
bowed. Lot bowed, Samson bowed, David bowed, 
Saul bowed, Joab bowed, Cushai bowed, Ammon 
bowed, Nathan bowed, Adonijah bowed, Solomon 
bowed, Eliezer bowed himself to the earth. They 
all bowed, as a token of reverence, and to wor- 
ship ; and when most deeply penitent, or overcome 
with the presence of the divine Majesty, they fell 
prostrate on the earth. These sample references 
certainly show that there is much in the attitude 



278 TEXAS PULPIT. 

of the body, and that it should correspond with 
the condition of the heart. Thus, a bowed down 
heart will present a bowed down body. 

III. But I know of no case in the whole Bible 
where any one " stood up to pray." 

The Bible testimony is, therefore, all on one 
side ; and the case would seem to be clear. But at 
this point, those who are in the habit of standing 
to pray, and praying with heads erect, and who 
desire to continue this course, refer at once to Mat. 
6 : 5, Mark 11 : 25, Luke 18 : 11, 13. These are all 
the references given — the best and all in favor, if 
they are in favor, of the modern habit of standing 
erect to pray. Let us, therefore, examine these 
three passages — remembering that these are the 
best, and all the evidence in favor of this modern 
habit. Observe, then : 

1. In each of these passages the object was to 
teach the necessity for an humble, forgiving heart, 
in contrast with the proud Pharisee's heart and 
habit of praying to be seen and heard of men. The 
posture of the body was not, and is not, the lesson 
here taught at all. Jesus says, "Be not as the 
Pharisee who loves to stand," etc. The reference 
is to the proud Pharisee, to warn the disciples 
what they should oiot do ; and the poor " publican 
would not so much as lift his eyes to heaven, but 
smote upon his breast," etc. With an humble 
heart he naturally bowed before God. 

2. In the Campbell, McKnight & Dodrige trans- 



PRAYER. 279 

lation, published by A. Campbell^ the word stand 
is not found in Mark 11 : 25. It only says, " when 
we pray." Dr. A. Clark says this passage may 
mean no more than " when you have a mind to 
pray," or " when you are disposed to pray." 

3. The word here rendered stand is used nearly 
four hundred times, and does not generally mean 
to stand literally. It is a number of times trans- 
lated to sit^ and by otlier words. 

4. When the inspired writers desire to teach 
standing on the feet, they say stand, or standing, 
" on the feet." Thus, Acts 26 : 16, " Arise, and 
stand upon thy feet." 

This phrase is found ten times. Hence, to teach 
clearly that standing on the feet was the lesson in- 
tended in these three passages, we should have 
had, "on his," or "on your feet." But this we 
have not. Here is the failure of the pedo-Baptist 
who affirms that Paul was baptized standing up, 
and to prove it, refers to Acts 22 ; 16, " Arise and 
be baptized and wash away thy sins." But Anani- 
as does not say to him, " Arise and stand on thy 
feet and be baptized," though the Lord used that 
phrase — "stand on thy feet" — when he appeared 
to him, Acts 26 : 16. All immersionists say Paul 
had to arise, in order to be immersed ; and that this 
was the reason for his arising ; that had sprinkling 
or pouring been the meaning of baptize, he should 
not have arisen at all. His posture was exactly 
suited for affusion, but not at all for immersion. 



280 TEXAS PULPIT. 

And then they go to Eom. 6 : 4, and prove that 
Paul was buried in baptism. This explains why 
he had to arise. So people have to arise in order 
to kneel or bow down to pray. This explains 
arising to pray. We arise in order to kneel down. 
Solomon first stood up, then kneeled down, just as 
Paul arose in order to be buried in baptism. 

5. But if it could be proved that they prayed 
standing on their feet, which, as appears above, 
never can be done, still, the proof and the proposi- 
tion would be the width of the heavens apart ! We 
know that, as has been cited — and no one denies 
or doubts — it was an ancient custom to " bow with 
the face low towards the ground," or to kneel in 
worship. The proposition is, that they prayed 
with their heads erect. The testimony says not 
one word for or about this proposition. Juries de- 
cide in favor of the proposition having the most 
and best evidence. But when there is absolutely 
no testimony on one side, and clear, unquestioned, 
and abundant testimony on the other — what shall 
we say of the lawyer with brass enough to ask a 
verdict — without testimony, and against the hest 
testimony ? And what must we think of a juryman 
who would, for one moment, hesitate in rendering 
his decision ; or who would hang the jury in favor 
of the no testimony side ? But perhaps some one, 
to whom this view of the subject is new, says the 
claim is extravagant and incorrect ; and that there 
is, at least, some evidence in favor of the erect pos- 



PRAYER. 281 

ture in prayer. So many good people think when we 
tell them there is absolutely no evidence in favor 
of sprinkling or pouring for baptism. They cannot 
think so, even when they are constrained to admit 
that the great majority of evidence is for immersion. 
They fall back on their learned men, and their 
good men, and say how can they be so mistaken? 
Yet we insist that they are mistaken — and prove 
it. So, here. It is asked, " How can these things 
be? Is it, call it be possible, that our learned 
•and good men are mistaken as to the posture for 
prayer ? " Pause, then, yet a little, and enquire 
again for the testimony. The old Latin authors, 
and all the works on logic, point us to the com- 
mon fallacy in reasoning, when one proposition is 
laid down, and another is proved. To assert one 
thing and prove another is not logic. The propo- 
sition is the erect posture — the custom now com- 
mon, of standing with head and body erect, in order 
to pray — i. e., of assuming this as a posture scrip- 
tural and proper for prayer. The proof cannot 
possibly be more than that they stood — it does not 
say whether on their feet or on their knees, or 
whether erect or bowed down. 

IV. OBJECTIOIS^S AI^D DIFFICULTIES. 

When it is clearly found that there is no testi- 
mony in favor of this erect posture in prayer, either 
in nature or in the Bible, those still inclined to 
practice it refer to certain objections and difficulties 



282 TEXAS PULPIT. 

in kneeling — as its inconvenience, and sometimes 
its impracticability. And it is alleged tliat all 
will not kneel, and that uniformity is desirable, 
etc. Just so the affusionists say in opposition to 
immersion — that it is not convenient, sometimes 
not pl'acticable, etc. And one answer meets all 
such cases. 

1. Difficulties never make an argument in such 
cases. There are serious difficulties in becoming 
Christians — and all the way in running the Chris- 
tian race. The same is true in the marriage rela- 
tion, and in every important relation and work. 

2. Heaven's religion does not consult our con- 
venience so much. It is after our safety ; and God 
knows we need a trial of our faith and patience, 
our fealty and our courage. It was by no means 
convenient for the Jews to go from all parts of their 
land three times each year, to Jerusalem, and 
spend seven days there each time. Nor was it 
convenient for them to spend, as they did, nearly 
if not quite, half of their time and half their income 
directly in the divine service, etc. But so Infinite 
wisdom demanded. Of course, impossibilities were 
never required, and are not now. 

3. Exceptional cases do not destroy or affect 
the rule. Hence the fallacy of referring to the 
thief on the cross, the sick bed, the desert sufferer; 
the fact that some cannot kneel, and the fact that 
it is sometimes inconvenient ! 

4. We must follow, when we can, even with 



PRAYER. 283 

some inconvenience, the rule established by divine 
testimony. 

V. SPECIAL TESTIMONY FOR BOWIN^G. 

1. In worship the radical idea is bowing down 
of soul, body and spirit. ProsTcuneo is found sixty 
times, and in every instance is rendered worship. 
And we have clearly seen that in worship, they 
bowed down. This was the way they worshiped. 
This idea is in the very word rendered worship. 
Liddell and Scott say it means : " To do obeisance 
or homage to another ; especially of the oriental 
fashion of making the salaam or prostrating one's 
self before kings and superiors ; to do homage, to 
look up to ; a worshiping prostration." We have 
the wrong word, then, unless there is in worship, a 
" bowing down," a ^' prostration." This gives 
meaning to Rom. 12 : 1, " Present your bodies liv- 
ing sacrifices to Grod." They had been consecrated 
to him in becoming Christians, and now they must 
present them as offerings before God — in prayer. 

The term worship is also applied to all the divine 
system immediately connected with and growing 
out of its radical idea — bowing, or crouching, be- 
fore Grod. 

Out of over 160 cases of worship, worshiper, etc., 
note these : Gen. 24 : 26, " And Abraham bowed 
and worshiped the Lord," ^. e., bowed, and so wor- 
shiped the Lord. Yerse 52, *' Abraham's servant 
worshiped the Lord bowing to the earth," i. e., by 



284 TEXAS PULPIT. 

bowing to the earth. Ex. 3:31, "Israel bowed 

and worshiped," i. e., and so worshiped. This was 
the way he worshiped. I. Chron. 29 : 29, "All the 
congregation bowed down and worshiped the 
Lord," i. e., so worshiped. Mark 15 : 19, " Thej 
spat upon him and bowing down worshiped him," 
i. e., worshiped him by bowing down in mockery. 
Dan. 3:6, " Whoso falleth not down and worship- 
eth," i. e., so worshipeth the image. II. Chron. 2 : 18 
"All Judah fell down and worshiped the Lord," 
i. e., so worshiped the Lord. Mat. 2 : 11, " The 
wise men fell down and worshiped Christ," i. e.^so 
worshiped him. The gifts and offerings were so 
connected with the direct worship as to be included 
in it. So the breaking of the loaf, the fellowship, 
etc., are so connected with, and so naturally grow 
out of, the radical idea of worship, that they are 
included in it. But there is no worship without a 
bowed or humbled heart. This radical idea runs 
through all true worship — bowing down, humble 
submission and obedience. 

2. The example of Paul, and of all the early 
Christians, favored bowing down. JS^o one ofthein 
eDer stood up to pray. Here, as in the direct testi- 
mony, there is absolutely no evidence for the erect 
posture ! This, it seems, should settle the ques- 
tion ! Indeed, we are repeatedly commanded to 
copy Paul's example. And we observe the Lord's 
day entirely on this authority, and should follow 
Paul's example as to the plan or manner of doing 



PRAYER. 285 

home and foreign missionary work, on the same 
authority. Why not ? If it is good for all that 
pertains to the first day of the week, why not as to 
the way to spread the gospel, the way to worship, 
etc. If Paul bowed down — even on the seashore ! 
— why not we ? 

3. Wise men have a reason for what they do. 
This is an aphorism with them. Hence, if we see 
a man doing anything, and especially an incon- 
venient thing, we at once enquire, why do that? 
One of the best arguments I ever heard for immer- 
sion was this : Philip and the eunuch must have 
had a sensible and sufficient reason for going down 
into the water. But, if sprinkling or pouring had 
been baptism, there could have been no reason 
whatever for doing so. So, too, when Paul, with 
the disciples, women and children, kneeled on the 
seashore at Miletus and Tyre, they must, as sensi- 
ble people, have had a good and sufficient reason 
for it. But if the erect posture had been a proper 
one for prayer they would have had no reason for 
it, and would have appeared as unreasonable as 
the Pedo-baptists would represent Philip in wad- 
ing down into the water just to sprinkle or pour a 
little water on the eunuch ! So, Solomon, David, 
Daniel, and all the saints had a good and sufficient 
reason for bowing in prayer ! O, what reason had 
the blessed Jesus for first bowing, and then, when 
his soul was " exceedingly sorrowful, even unto 



286 TEXAS PULPIT. 

death," falling prostrate before God, as the best 
bodily expression of the deepest humility and rev- 
erence. 

The time rapidly approaches when all created 
intelligence, including Satan himself, will fall 
down, and so worship Jesus the Anointed Ruler of 
the heavens and the earth. There will be meaning 
in falling down then. And, however blind now, all 
will see the meaning then. The Lord help us to 
open our eyes and see now! The Lord give us 
that humility of heart which will control our proud 
bodies, and bring their posture in prayer to corres- 
pond with bowed down spirits ! 



SERMOlSr XXIY. 

MISSION' WORK, 
By a. p. Aten. 

In the strong and beautiful language of eastern 
metaphor, the Church of God has had in its pos- 
session, since the completion of written revelation, 
an epitome of its prospective work. The apoca- 
lyptic vision unrolls before God's chosen seer, 
while at the head of a conquering army appear 
the white horse and his royal rider, upon whose 
head are the crowns of victory, and in whose hand 
is the bow of conquest. Looking back across the 
procession of the centuries, we are able to see the 
two-edged sword going out of his mouth by which 
he would smite the nations, we can realize the 
forceful power of the vesture dipped in blood, and 
know, as we behold the victories of the cross, that 
the name of the conqueror is Kijs^g of kings and 
Lord of lords. 

To-day, we who have accepted his sovereignty, 
and who compose a part of the great metaphorical 
army that is following his leadership, are called 
upon to determine how best the sword of the 
Spirit which is the word of God, shall be wielded 
to smite the erring nations, and how, dropping the 

287 



288 TEXAS PULPIT. 

martial metaphor, we may best convey to the lost 
and fallen of this and other lands the glad news 
of redeeming love. 

In view of the announced subject of this dis- 
course, permit me to lay down these propositions : 

1. God, through the gospel of his Son, contem- 
plated the salvation of the world from sin and its 
consequences. 

2. This consummation was intended to be 
reached by certain instrumentalities clearly indi- 
cated or implied in his word. 

3. That while the gospel is declared to be the 
power of God in order to salvation, and obedience 
to the commandments of Christ prerequisite to the 
divine blessing, the ways and means for proclaim- 
ing that gospel to the world are left largely to the 
discretion of the church itself. 

The first two of the propositions require no 
argument, and will be accepted upon the merest 
statement ; but the last will doubtless be in con- 
test while the church on earth shall be a necessity 
and an entity. 

In a calm manner let us look squarely in the 
face some of the considerations that are worthy of 
our attention, upon whom the burdens of a world's 
woes are resting; and strive to keep prominent 
the ultimate and the procuring means of our 
Lord's supreme desire. 

1. The origin of the work. No one will care 
to deny that the protoplastic germ was in the 



MISSION WORK. 289 

mind of the Infinite. Even before the worlds were 
hurled from the hand of his might, did the plan 
for the redemption of his prospective race take 
form in the counsel of his will. "We do not stop 
to inquire into all the whys and wherefores, nor to 
brush aside the difficulties that appear. It is 
sufficient for our purpose that the facts are clear. 
The contemplation of a fallen race, the beings of 
which were to be mentally and spiritually in the 
image of God, seemed sufficient to stir to its pro- 
foundest depths the infinite pity and compassion 
that afterwards appear so perspicuously to mortal 
view when the favor of the Father of all is made 
manifest. The embryonic thought found its 
development in the subsequent history of human- 
ity, but it was to all intents from the very begin- 
ning a missionary thought, and when, after the 
lapse of ages, and following the preparatory con- 
ditions that finite thought can only imperfectly 
understand, we behold the Messenger from the 
skies appear, we can accept him as the represen- 
tative of that love whose overshadowing presence 
no cloud however dark has been able to obscure, 
and feel that he is the one supreme Factor in the 
grandest work that humanity can ever know. 

2. The beginning of tlie work. It was small, 
and some would say imperfect. From a human 
standpoint possibly so, but from that of divine 
intelligence, never. Like every work that chooses 

liuman instrumentality for its accomplishment, 
19 



290 TEXAS PULPIT. 

it must needs have its preparatory stage. Under 
the personal supervision of him who had been the 
Word, but who was now the Son of God, it slowly 
takes the shape that supreme wisdom alone could 
dictate. The great teacher was among men for 
the express purpose of shaping earthly destiny ; 
and, teaching his chosen followers the foundation 
principles of a system as broad and deep as the 
direst human needs, he began to build for time 
and for eternity, preparing them step by step as 
their environments demanded, to be missionaries 
of his own wise choosing, to be sent upon an 
errand of supremest magnitude. Hence they were 
called apostles, the anglicised form of a Greek 
word, which corresponds to the latinized form, 
missionaries ; both of which mean substan- 
tially that which may be expressed by our 
English circumlocution, those who are sent. In 
the proper training of these missionaries, Jesus 
spent the years of his personal ministry, inter- 
mingling with his teaching of them some model 
preaching to the people that sliould serve as 
examples for their imitation. 

After the tragedy whose enactment was a 
prime necessity in his own life work, and in the 
future of his disciples, he continues his course of 
lectures for forty days that they may be still more 
thoroughly prepared for their entrance on mission 
work. The moment comes when he and they are 
ready so far as any earthly preparation could 



t 
MISSIO]^ WORK. 291 

avail. Commencement day has come, and their 
diplomas are ready for delivery. It only needs 
that they be endowed by the power from on 
high, and for this they are to await his pleas- 
ure. But now he pronounces the words by which 
he sends them, '^ Go teach all nations, baptizing 
them into the name of the Father and of the Son 
and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe 
all things whatsoever I have commanded you." 

The apostolate was a prime factor in the mission 
work of the first century. The leading thoughts 
of the divine mind whose wisdom had touched the 
darkness of the souls of men, had become incor- 
porated into the lives of the chosen few to whom 
was entrusted the burden of carrying to the utter- 
most parts of the earth the unsearchable riches, 
and it is not surprising that they threw the might 
of their mental and spiritual power into the seem- 
ingly unequal conflict with the enemies of the 
kingdom of heaven. It was a sublime faith in 
their Lord, and in the future, that inspired them ; 
and with their human intellects sharpened by con- 
•tact with the Master Mind, and the superadded in- 
fluence of the Spirit breathed upon them, they 
found in the bright vocabulary of a strong and 
earnest faith no such word as fail. 

Upon every page of the record that tells of the 
early struggles through which the pioneers of the 
great reform battled so manfully against the predj- 
udices and passions of the Hebrew and the Greek, 



292 TEXAS PULPIT. 

we are reminded that Grod cliose the weak things 
of this world to confound the mighty. His instru- 
mentalities were human. He might, if he had so 
ordained, have compelled the obedience of the 
nations by one stroke of his omnipotence ; but as 
in all his dealings he has reached the great mass 
of the people by a resort to human agency, so 
now, when the intelligences of earth are to be 
warned to flee the impending wrath, and are to be 
offered the olive branch of peace, he does not de- 
part from the precedents of the four thousand 
years of human history, but seeks to propagate 
the principles of his everlasting kingdom through 
the labor of the hand and brain of his own crea- 
tion. We are not to suppose, however, that then 
or now the unaided skill of human intellect was to 
wrestle with the wily forces of Satan's realm. We 
have already seen that the chosen ones were in- 
spired by a power above the mortal, that was 
itself a most important factor in the work, and 
thus God's power co-operated with human energy, 
and supplemented it in the lives of the first mis- 
sionaries. In a somewhat different manner, yet 
nevertheless divine, has the Spirit of God advo- 
cated in subsequent time the claims of the Re- 
deemer of men to his enthronement in human 
hearts ; and this leads us to a brief consideration 
of the factors that have operated since apostolic 
days, and those also which rightfully belong to 
the work of the present. 



MISSION WOEK. 293 

3. Tlie 'progress of the Work. No system ever 
inaugurated, whether contemplating the material 
or spiritual interests of the world, ever met with 
such a prompt reception by multitudes of people, 
or produced, through a power unaided by carnal 
weapons, such a revolution in human sentiment, as 
did the religion of the Nazarene. This was partly 
referable to the extraordinary gifts with which its 
propagators were endowed, but largely to the in- 
herent grandeur of the gospel plea combined with 
a simplicity that stood in such striking contrast 
with the effete systems of that day, that the peo- 
ple seized upon it with an avidity unprecedented. 
The miracles and the tongues soon ceased, but the 
power of the simple gospel remained and per- 
formed its work among the nations. The apostles 
entered into rest, but brave hearts and willing 
hands took up the work by them laid down, and 
through the preaching, by some esteemed as fool- 
ishness, the world continued to be saved. No 
apostle, no evangelist, under the last and great 
commission, was fed and nourished by miraculous 
power. It was no part of God's plan for human 
salvation, that a single one of his chosen workers 
should go to his labor sustained except by his 
own, or by the exertions of his brethren. Indeed, 
the work was of such transcendent importance 
that it behooved the Holy Spirit to make a special 
affirmation on the subject — a kind of encyclical 
letter as it were, through the medium of an apos- 



294 TEXAS PULPIT. 

tolic pen, tliat they who preach the gospel shall 
live of the gospel, and that the laborer is worthy 
of his hire, and it is refreshing to read from the 
holy writings such a declaration, when the air is 
filled with diatribes against hireling preachers. 
Our conclusion is inevitable and logical, that the 
support of the ministry was a factor of no small 
importance in the continued proclamation of the 
Word, and in the mission work of those early days. 
The character of that support need not enter into 
this discussion, whether it was like that of the 
first missionary society of devoted women, such as 
Mary and Joanna and Susanna, who ministered to 
our Lord of their substance, or those women who 
were the helpers of Paul in his arduous struggles 
as a missionary, or whether it took the form of 
money contributions, as when real and personal 
estate was sold and the money placed in the apos- 
tolic treasury — in any form, it was an indispensa- 
ble factor in the accomplishment of the grand 
work that the church of that day neither desired 
nor tried to shun. Indeed, if we read aright be- 
tween the lines of the early records, there was an 
earnest emulation among the disciples of the Lord 
as to who could do the most, and prove by his 
sacrifices for the cause, the devotion of his soul ; 
and if this is in striking contrast with the feeling 
and practice of this later day, it is not to be laid 
at the door of the authoritative instructors of our 
religion, but rather to the perversity of those who 



MISSION WORK. 295 

tire willing to accept the benefits of an infinite 
sacrifice and all blessings that follow in its train, 
without rendering therefor a quid ^ro quo. 

4. The work of the present. We institute now 
a brief inquiry as to what changes are necessary, 
if any, in the methods of missionary work in this 
modern age. We preface by saying that the gos- 
pel is yet the power of God unto salvation, that 
the command of the great commission is yet bind- 
ing upon the disciples of Christ, "Gro into all the 
world, and preach the gospel to every creature," 
and that churches after the primitive pattern are 
yet to be established. But we are constrained to 
re-affirm the third proposition laid down in the 
beginning of this address, that the ways and 
means of proclaiming the gospel to the world are 
left largely to the wisdom and discretion of the 
church. Within eighteen centuries, the appliances 
of civilization have been very largely revolution- 
ized, and with these changes have come new neces- 
sities as regards means of locomotion, means of 
multiplying thoughts and ideas, means of com- 
munication, and, indeed, a thousand things that 
did not enter in the remotest degree into the calcu- 
lations of the apostolic day. And it is one of the 
strongest proofs of the divinity of our religion, 
that its constitution was such that no change 
needed to be made in all these centuries in order 
to fit the changing conditions and shifting neces- 
sities of those for whom it was provided ; and fur- 



^96 TEXAS PULPIT. 

ther, it is a more convincing proof of the divine- 
wisdom that dictated it to men, that the means of 
its propagation were not so fixed by iron-clad reg- 
ulations as regards the particular means of pro- 
claiming it to the world, that they should be un- 
changeableo If the Lord had said, when you preach 
my gospel you must do it by word of mouth alone, 
or it will not be acceptable ; or, when you go, you 
must go on foot ; or, when you communicate with 
others, you must do it by messenger ; or, when you 
meet, it must be in an upper room or in a private 
house ; or, if you send my word to the nations, you 
must do it by permitting some individual of some 
particular church to go, and other churches must 
not co-operate ; or, it shall be unlawful for the con- 
gregations or individuals composing them to co- 
operate together in proclaiming my gospel — if any 
or all these restrictions, with others of a like char- 
acter that in these days have found their advo- 
cates, had been placed upon the church by its great 
Founder, it would have been proof of an unwisdom 
that would have gone far towards its ultimate fail- 
ure. But instead of this, the Lord of the new dis- 
pensation has been pleased to give to his followers 
only such general instructions as would enable 
them to be loyal to his cause, and wisely permits 
freedom in the use of means for accomplishing the 
great end to be attained, the salvation of the 
world. 

An inspired man, than whom no one has ever 



MISSION WORK. 297 

had a clearer idea of the necessities, purposes and 
freedom of Christianity, has well epitomized the 
factors in missionary work in this rendering of the 
successive steps in the salvation of man : '' Who- 
soever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall 
be saved. How, then, shall they call on him in 
whom they have not believed ? and how shall they 
believe in him of whom they have not heard ? and 
how shall they hear without a preacher ? and how 
shall they preach except they be sent ? " Here we 
have, 1. The Lord Mmself^ including his incarna- 
tion, his words, his works, his agonies, his death, 
his burial, his resurrection, his ascension, his cor- 
onation. 3. Calling upon Mm, which includes a 
faith sufficient to impel the candidate for salvation 
to inquire most diligently, " Lord, what wilt thou 
have me to do ? " and having ascertained by such 
call, a full surrender of life to his will. 3. Faith 
in Christ, which means not merely an acknowl- 
edgment of his claims, and a tacit reception of his 
personality, but a personal, living belief in the 
Redeemer of men, looking to a full and complete 
obedience. 4. Hearing, including every possible 
means of receiving the divine communication, 
whether through the avenue of the ear, the eye or 
the touch ; whether by spoken or written word, so 
that it reaches human understanding. 5. The 
preachers, embracing apostles, prophets, evangel- 
ists, pastors, teachers, together with every method 
of communication by human mediumship, through 



298 TEXAS PULPIT. 

the audible voice, the written or printed page, by 
the telegraph, the telephone, or the phonograph, 
all equally legitimate, so that the gospel, with all 
its elements, is the object impressed. 6. Tlie 
^ending^ and this may include a multitude of 
things with the name of legion. It implies that 
the preacher is passive until he be sent by divine 
and human authority to do the work assigned. 
He may have all the physical, mental and spiritual 
qualifications, and yet not be able to advance a 
step. His divine call must be supj)lemented by 
the call of the church. If he goes forth as a min- 
ister of the gospel, he must be sent; else what sig- 
nificance do we find in the question of the apostle, 
amounting to the direct affirmative, " They shall 
not preach unless they be sent." This, of course, 
lias no reference to the ordinary, every-day teach- 
ing of divine things, which is the privilege, if not 
the duty, of every Christian in every walk of life, 
hut to the public proclaimers of tlie gospel, known 
in Scriptural parlance by the names indicative of 
their several offices or specific work. 

7. The sender^ and in this we have the practical 
part of the whole matter as it concerns us who are 
called to consider the question in this year of 
^race. The power to send the preacher as a mis- 
sionary is delegated to the Church of Christ. It 
is the great factor in accomplishing the work, and 
includes the individual congregations with their 
elders and deacons, all the members thereof, male 



MISSICJS- WORK. 299 

and female, all the energies and activities, all the 
ability with which they are endowed, both mental 
and spiritual, all their surplus means, whether 
houses, lands, merchandise, or money ; and this in 
every way that may be open to each as the oppor- 
tunity is afforded; through the treasury of the 
church, by individual contribution, by co-operating 
with other churches, or with other individual Chris- 
tians, by a combination of means, or, indeed, in 
any way whereby the surplus wealth that the Lord 
has bestowed may be applied for the advancement 
of his cause and the salvation of men. The broad 
philanthropy that saved a world by such infinite 
sacrifice, makes no pitiful demand of a chosen peo- 
ple that, in any circumscribed way, they shall be- 
stow or apply the means that the Master needs as 
a potent factor in the work that cost his life. By 
his broad command, " Go preach my gospel," he 
sends the church, with all it is and all it has, to the 
world's great harvest field, and asks the grand co- 
operation of all its forces in any and every way 
that contravenes no great principle of his, for 
breaking down the wall of error, and building on 
" sin's demolished thrones the temples of his 
peace." 



SERMON XXV. 

THE CHURCH OF CHRIST AJSTD THE APOS- 
TASY. 

By H. B. Davis. 

Text.— 11. Tim. 4: 1-8; also, II. Thess. 2: 1-12. 

In entering upon this discussion, it is not with- 
out a knowledge of the fact that the field has 
been fully canvassed, and the facts thoroughly dis- 
cussed by those more capable. But, with the 
desire that you may have these things always in 
remembrance, and not without the hope that some 
one may read these pages, who will be increased 
in a knowledge of the Word of God, and strength- 
ened in the faith which rests alone in Jesus as the 
creed of the Christian, I undertake the same. 

The subject will claim our attention from the 
Bible and authentic history. For a correct 
knowledge of the Church of Christ, we are 
entirely dependent on the Bible, especially the 
New Testament. 

During Christ's personal ministry, he projected 
all the principles of his kingdom. He also called, 
and by his personal instructions prepared, his 

300 



THE CHURCH AND THE APOSTASY. 301 

teachers, wlio also should be his witnesses, to 
develop into practical life these principles. After 
his resurrection from the dead, he said to them ; 
*' Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer 
and rise again from the dead the third day ; and 
that repentance and remission of sins should be 
preached in his name unto all the nations, begin- 
ning at Jerusalem. Ye are witnesses of these 
things" — Luke 24 : 46-48, (Revised Version). 

Now, it is evident that the time had come for 
Jesus to turn over to these witnesses the adminis- 
tration of his laws. In a short time they enter 
upon their work as his executors. Before he took 
his final leave of them, he said, "But tarry ye in 
the city (Jerusalem) until ye be clothed with 
power from on high." In John 16th chapter, you 
will find that the power referred to was the Holy 
Spirit, the baptism of which they were to receive. 
In Acts 2nd chapter, Luke gives us a full account 
of the descent of the Spirit, in fulfillment of that 
promise. 

Now, if you will follow up this history in Acts, 
you will find how the first Christians were made, 
and, under this new reign, how the Church of 
Christ, was established and the principles of 
Christ's kingdom became the law of his church 
and God's power for the salvation of the world. 
Paul to the Corinthians said, " Where is the wise ? 
where is the scribe ? where is the disputer of this 
world ? hath not Grod made foolish the wisdom of 



302 TEXAS PULPIT. 

this world ? For seeing that in the wisdom of God 
the world through its wisdom knew not God, it 
was God's good pleasure through the foolishness of 
the preaching to save them that believe/*' I. Cor. 
1 : 20-24. Again, in writing to the church at 
Rome, he said, " I am debtor both to Greeks and 
to Barbarians, both to the wise and to the foolish, 
so, as much as in me is, I am ready to preach the 
gospel to you also that are in Rome. For I am 
not ashamed of the gospel ; for it is the power of 
God unto salvation to every one that believeth, to 
the Jew first, and also to the Greek." This gospel 
being the expression of God's will, it was his law 
for salvation both from sin and its consequences. 

The letters by the apostles, were written to 
Christians, and contain a detailed account of the 
gospel, as should be seen in the lives of members 
of the church, also how to organize and govern 
local congregations of Christians. 

Here (and in Acts) alone can we find divine 
authority for the existence and government of the 
church. Many things expedient will come up not 
found in these writings, such as building meeting- 
houses, employing evangelists, the publication of 
tracts, books and newspapers in the interests of 
the church at home and abroad ; but no specific 
plan can be forced upon another as of divine 
authority. The principles are all to be learned 
from these writings. Paul said to the Philip- 
pians, " So, then, my beloved, even as ye have 



THE CHURCH AND THE APOSTASY. 303 

always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but 
now much more in my absence, work out your 
own salvation with fear and trembling ; for it is 
God which worketh in you both to will and to 
work, for his good pleasure." — (Work out that 
which was wrought in you by the gospel of Christ, 
which is God's power for salvation.) "Do all 
things without murmurings and disputings ; that 
ye may be blameless and harmless, children of 
God without blemish in the midst of a crooked 
and perverse generation, among whom ye are seen 
as lights in the world, holding forth the word of 
life." Phil. 2 : 12-16. Any legislation upon 
untaught questions, or on any question, for that 
matter, will be attended with evil results. God 
has legislated for us and that should be the end of 
all controversy. 

The Church of Christ is composed of all who 
have bowed in obedience to the primary law of his 
kingdom. The Church of Christ at work is seen 
in the conduct of its members, either in local con- 
gregations, or as individuals wherever their lot 
may be cast. " And there arose on that day (at 
the death of Stephen) a great persecution against 
the church which was in Jerusalem ; and they were 
all scattered abroad throughout the regions of 
Judea and Samaria except the apostles. . . . 
The}^, therefore, that were scattered abroad went 
about preaching the word." Acts 8:1-4. Thus, 
we learn that the church did not cease its work, 



304 TEXAS PULPIT. 

tliougli its members were scattered. A man may 
be a Christian and not have his name registered 
with any local congregation, but he cannot be a 
faithful Christian and not work in the interest of 
Christ's kingdom under all circumstances. It has 
become so common in our day to recognize denom- 
inationalism as a part of the Church of Christ, 
even intelligent Christians, i. e., intelligent in other 
matters, think they must belong to " some church," 
and go and join some sectarian institution calling 
itself a church, in order to live Christians. I ad- 
mire their honesty, but deplore their ignorance of 
the New Testament church. For the first two 
hundred years of the history of Christ's reign, de- 
nominational religion was unknown. It was not 
until human creeds, as bonds of union and fellow- 
ship among Christians, were introduced, that de- 
nominations were formed and the Church of Christ 
was supplanted by sectarianism. Then councils 
w^ere convened to make laws for the government of 
the church. If you were wholly ignorant of the 
existence of these denominations^ and were left to 
discover them by reading the Bible, you would be 
certain to remain in ignorance of such a state of 
things. This brings us to consider the last half of 
our subject — "Apostasy." 

For a knowledge of the Church of Christ we go 
to the New Testament, and for a knowledge of the 
apostate church, we must study history. The re- 
mainder of this discourse will be devoted to the 



THE CHUECH AND THE APOSTASY. 305 

latter. Rome, the capital of the empire, ambitious 
to become the political mistress of the world, and 
the clergy of Rome, partaking of this spirit, formed 
an ecclesiasticism and began to legislate for the 
government of the church. They soon employed 
themselves in the conversion of adjacent towns and 
cities. After their conversion, instead of leaving 
them to select officers in each community for their 
local government as directed by the apostles, they 
made them subject to the Bishop of Rome. Mos- 
heim, in his history, says : " Let none — alluding to 
the first and second centuries — confound the bishops 
of this primitive and golden period of the church 
with those of whom we read in the following ages. 
For, though they were designated by the same 
name, yet they differed extremely, in many re- 
spects. A bishop, during the first and second cen- 
turies, was a person who had the care of one Chris- 
tian assembly, which at that time was, generally 
speaking, small enough to be contained in a private 
house. In this assembly, he acted not so much 
with the authority of a master, as with the zeal 
and diligence of a servant. The churches, also, in 
those early times, were entirely independent ; none 
of them subject to any foreign jurisdiction, but 
each one governed by its own rules and its own 
laws. Nothing is more evident than the perfect 
equality that reigned among the primitive churches; 
nor does there appear, in the first century, the 
smallest trace of that association of provincial 

20 



306 TEXAS PULPIT. 

churches, from which councils and metropolitans 
derive their origin." Ecc. Hist. Vol. I., pages 105- 
107. It will not be difficult to see in this history 
collateral teaching with the New Testament history 
of the Church of Christ. 

About the time Rome was declared mistress of 
the world, " the fountain of laws," the clergy 
said : " If Rome is queen of cities, why should not 
her pastor be the king of bishops ? why not the 
Roman church be the mother of Christendom ?" 
To accomplish this, bonds of union other than 
God's law must be had — faith in Christ and obedi- 
ence to apostolic teaching were not sufficient. 
They were soon united by means of bishops, arch- 
bishops, popes, mitres, canons and ceremonies. 
Hence, salvation no longer flowed from the Word 
of God, or the authority of Jesus. 

The clergy claimed that it was to be enjoyed 
only through the forms which they had appointed. 
Ignorance and superstition took possession of the 
church, and delivered it, fettered and blindfolded, 
into the hands of the ambitious ecclesiastics of 
Rome. 

]^Jow the way was clear, and Theodosius II. pro- 
claimed the bishop of Rome, rector of *the whole 
church. Then, came the idolatrous North and 
bowed at the feet of the high priest of Rome. 
The Yandals, the Burgundians, Lombards, Anglo- 
Saxons, and others, bowed at this altar built by 
apostate hands — history repeats itself when Henry 



THE CHURCH A:N^D THE APOSTASY. 307 

YIII., with Ms parliament, abolishes the power of 
the Pope in England, and, by another act, makes 
himself supreme head of the church, and gave 
birth to the church of England. Soon after this, 
the government of Rome fell into the hands of 
abandoned women, and the church of Christ was 
displaced by the mother of harlots. 

Thus, the church of Christ, a community of 
brethren, with their humble teachers, the word of 
God their light, the Holy Spirit their comforter, 
was exchanged for an absolute monarchy, with a 
despot at its head. The equality of souls before 
God was lost sight of. The priesthood with its 
castes claimed peculiar privileges ,and the people 
were gagged and given over to haughty caste. 

Pelagianism is introduced, out of which came 
the doctrine of saint-worship, and ecclesiastical 
penance took the place of Christian repentance 
when flagellations were adopted. Then came the 
system of barter, and the people were required to 
pay so much for pardon. They seized upon the 
speculations of the philosoj^hers of Alexandria, 
who had spoken of a fire in which men were to be 
purified, and made it an article of faith, and pur- 
gatory was added to the dominion of the Pope. 
This place was described by the clergy as a most 
fearful hell of burning flames. Again, the treas- 
ury is replenished by the superstitious who paid 
the priests to pray their friends out of purgatory. 
Indulgences to sin were issued for so much monev. 



308 TEXAS PULPIT. 

Plenary indulgence was given tliose who made a 
pilgrimage to Rome. Thousands responded, bring- 
ing with them rich gifts, and the treasury was 
filled again. This traffic in souls was extended 
throughout Christendom, and now what others 
went beyond the Alps for could be had at their 
doors. 

The people became so ignorant and credulous 
that the clergy exhibited a fragment of N'oah's 
ark, soot from the fiery furnace into which the 
Hebrew children were cast, a piece of wood from 
the cradle of the infant Jesus, and thousands of 
other relics. The church bowed to these idols. 
The kingdom of God was supplanted by a market 
of abominations. 

Do not suppose, dear reader, that there were no 
good Christians in those days, for there were many 
who protested, but paid the penalty of their fidel- 
ity with their lives. The imperishable nature of 
Christianity forbade its extinction. 

Many manly efi'orts were made from time to 
time, by Luther, Calvin and others, to rescue the 
Bible from priestly hands and restore it to" the 
common people, but their failures are seen in the 
fact that denominationalism took the place of 
pure Christianity, and human creeds the place of 
the Bible in the government of church. And 
these denominations have multiplied into the hun- 
dreds. Denominationalism is only a modified 
form of the Apostasy. Infant sprinkling for adult 



THE CHURCH AND THE APOSTASY. 309 

baptism, the mourner' s-bench system for the sim- 
ple confession of Jesus Christ, and a thousand 
other perversions of God's Word. Now, what do 
we want ? Is it not a return to the Bible, and the 
Bible alone, as the only all-sufficient rule of faith 
and practice ? This will insure implicit obedience 
to Christ, and glorify God in our salvation. 

Reader, will you pray and work for this ? If 
you are not a Christian, will you at once accept 
of Christ, as your Prophet, Priest and King, and 
his law as the guide of your life ? This done and 
lived up to until death, and you shall enter into 
the celestial city, and join in the acclamations of 
praise to the Lamb of God, who has redeemed you 
and washed you in his own precious blood. 
Amen. 



SERMOIS' XXVI, 

CLEANSING OF THE SANCTUARY, 

By F. G. Kibble. 

Text.—" And he said unto me, Unto two thousand and three 
hundred days, then shall the sanctuary be cleansed." — Dan. 
8:14. 

It is a deplorable fact that popular religionists 
have attached little or no importance to an under- 
standing of the prophecies, while others have 
pressed their solutions of the same in a way cal- 
culated to captivate, "by promulgating, with a 
seeming clearness and accuracy, that which has 
long been regarded as mysterious, thus enabling 
them the more easily to fasten upon the minds of 
the people the dogma of the conditional immortal- 
ity of the soul, and other speculations. The only 
apology that I shall offer for my arguments, is 
that, in my judgment, they support the only tena- 
ble position. 

It will be observed that this prophecy constituted 
the basis for the great Advent disappointment of 
1844. Other sects have let loose a world of con- 
jecture, equally erroneous. When the heavenly 
messenger showed these things to the inspired 
Daniel, he declared that the wicked should do 

310 



CLEANSING OF THE SANCTUARY. 311 

wickedly, and none of the wicked should under- 
stand. But the wise shall understand. It follows 
that there is a reason why the wicked perverter of 
God's Word should not understand. For, to make 
a correct application of this prophecy, would re- 
Hect discredit upon their human systems, while 
some would sacrifice God's Word rather than give 
up their traditions. 

That the sanctuary should become polluted is 
evident, or else why should it be cleansed ? Or, I 
would remark, how could it be cleansed ? But it 
becomes necessary that we should know what the 
sanctuary, here spoken of, is, and how it became 
polluted. I aver that the term in this connection 
applies to the Church of Christ. Which, with the 
host, was to be trodden under foot. The first reason 
I shall offer is the meaning of the word, which is, a 
place where God dwells. And that the term, as 
applied to the temple of Solomon, was used in a 
typical sense, as Solomon's temple was only a faint 
representation, or type, of the true temple that God 
built, and not man. We also find the terms, tem- 
ple, house and building, applied to the church. 
And when used in this sense, we regard them as 
synonymous with the term sanctuary, that God 
dwells in. And that it was the purpose for which 
this spiritual temple was built, is expressly de- 
clared by the Apostle Paul. Eph. 2 : 19-22. Trust- 
ing that this will suflice for the present, we will 



312 TEXAS PULPIT. 

proceed to contrast our definition with those given 
by several able authors. 

The first one we shall examine is the learned 
Seventh-day Adventist, Uriah Smith, who claims 
that the sanctuary spoken of in this connection, 
applies to. heaven itself. In view of his definition, 
we would ask, has heaven itself ever been polluted 
and given to be trodden underfoot ? Did the little 
horn, which he l"egards as the Pope of E-ome (and 
must be regarded as the polluting power), not sat- 
isfied with earthly conquests, extend his desecrat- 
ing influences into the sacred portals of heaven 
itself? 

The next position worthy of notice is the one 
accepted in common by a majority of Romanists 
and Protestants. That is, that it applies to the 
temple of Solomon. If this is the case, it is time 
that it was cleansed. For, it is evident, that 2,300 
years have rolled away, unless we conclude that it 
was 2,300 literal days, and thus furnish a precedent 
to overthrow the accepted rule of interpreting 
prophetic days as symbolizing literal years, 
which rule we regard as divine. For if the 2,300 
days are literal days, are not the 1,260 days of 
Revelation literal ? And if so, are not the seventy 
weeks of Daniel literal? "Which would positively 
prove that the seer prophesied falsely. But, it is 
argued, that the little horn, or polluting power 
spoken of in this connection, does not apply to the 
Pope of Rome (or, I might say, it has been so 



CLEANSING OF THE SANCTUARY. 313 

asserted). However, for various reasons, I shall 
have to maintain that it does. Among those who 
argue that it does not, there is an unanimous agree- 
ment that it applies to Antiochus. To which I 
would say, who was Antiochus ? From the time 
that Seleucus made himself king over the Syrian 
portion of Alexander's kingdom, thus constituting 
the Syrian horn of the goat, until the country was 
conquered by the Romans, twenty-six kings ruled 
in succession, of whom Antiochus was the eighth, 
and for the time constituted the Syrian horn. Now, 
Daniel says, out of this horn came forth a little 
horn. Was Antiochus two horns at one and the 
same time ? Was he the little horn, and also the 
horn out of which the little horn grew, at the same 
time ? If so, he was a very extraordinary person- 
age. Again, this little horn waxed exceeding 
great. Now, other kings were great, but this one 
should become exceedingly great. That is, it 
should become greater than any that had preceded 
it. It should wax great toward the east, and 
toward the west, and toward the pleasant land. 
Did Antiochus do this ? I answer, no ! The Re- 
ligious Encyclopedia says he was alleged to have 
abandoned the conquest of Egypt at the dictation 
of the Romans, to whom he paid large sums of 
money as tribute. 

Now;, it would not take an expert to decide who 
was the greater, the one who paid tribute, or the 
one to whom tribute was paid. 



314 TEXAS PULPIT. 

Thus being foiled in his attempt to subjugate 
Egypt, he vented his rage upon the unoffending 
Jews. Having shown conclusively that the 
prophecy does not apply to Antiochus, we shall as 
easily prove that it does apply to Rome. Which 
we shall do by first answering the popular objec- 
tions urged against this position. First, it is urged 
that the prophecies of Daniel were all fulfilled at 
the first coming of Christ. This we consider erro- 
neous. Daniel says that he beheld until the beast 
was slain, and his body given to the burning flame. 
The judgment did sit, and the books were opened. 
And the angel, in explaining the vision, proceeds 
to the time that many who slept in the dust of the 
earth awoke. Some to everlasting life, and some 
to shame and everlasting contempt. 

Again, it is argued that this horn grew out of 
the Macedonian kingdom. I inquire, did not the 
Romans possess the same territory that was pos- 
sessed by the Macedonian kingdom ? Did not the 
Romans conquer Macedon, and make it a part of 
Itself, one hundred and sixty-eight years before 
Christ? So, we understand, that Rome took the 
place of the Assyrian horn of the goat, after the 
Assyrian horn (line of kings) was destroyed, and 
the seat of government transferred to the city of 
Rome. While Rome subjugated other govern- 
ments, they allowed them to retain their own 
rulers, and thus perpetuate their nationality, as 
did the Jews. But it was not so with Macedon. 



CLEANSING OF THE SANCTUARY. 315 

For they were regarded as Romans. And, as such, 
had the peculiar rights of Roman citizens, and 
stood and were judged at Caesar's judgment bar. 
And further, upon tliis point, I would say that this 
position fully agrees with the prophetic manner of 
delineating coming events under symbols. We 
notice that the he-goat symbolized Macedon under 
Alexander the great. After the death of Alexan- 
der, his kingdom was divided into four separate 
parts, each independent of the other. Yet it is, 
under this divided state, symbolized by the same 
he-goat. Such being the case, I would ask, would 
it be a digression for the same he-goat to symbolize 
the same territory, united again under the Romans ? 
But, it might be asked, why is the fourth beast 
introduced in chapter seven to represent Rome 
and omitted in chapter eight ? We contend that 
the fourth beast is introduced in chapter seven for 
the purpose of more perfectly portraying the dread- 
ful character of Rome, under its papal form, when 
it trampled under its unhallowed feet everything 
that was sacred, insomuch that men would even 
seek death, while it steeped the world in ignorance 
until kings were unable to write their own names, 
but signed treaties with the hilt of their swords. 
For a delineation of her horrible deeds, we refer 
the reader to the Cross and Crown, written by 
James McCabe. We will now proceed to introduce 
another reason why we conclude that this little 
horn applies to the Roman Pontiff, which is the 



316 TEXAS PTJLPIT. 

little horn that grew out of another horn. The 
Pope of Rome grew up out of, or by reason of^ the 
imperial power possessed by the Emperor of Rome. 
And it was by this power that he was sustained, 
arxd exercised authority over the kingdoms of earth. 
When this secular horn withdrew his support, the 
little, or papal, horn fell ; or, as the angel that 
shewed these things to Daniel said, he was broken 
without hand. Here I challenge anyone to find in 
the annals of the world's history any other person- 
age that fills the specifications of this prophecy. 
And, until it is done, I shall maintain my position. 
The prophecy says that he cast the truth to the 
ground. Did any other individual exercise author- 
ity by which he cast God's word down and polluted 
the sanctuary with the filthiness of his own abom- 
inations ? Daniel says he magnified himself even 
to the Prince of the host. Who was the Prince of 
the host ? I answer, it was Jesus Christ. The 
pope claimed authority over the souls of the de- 
parted dead, that he could consign such as he 
saw proper to eternal perdition, and such as he 
saw proper to eternal life. Furthermore, it says 
that a host was given him against the daily sacri- 
fice. It is true that the hosts of Roman clergy 
were arrayed against the daily sacrifice of Chris- 
tians, offered upon the altar of the heart, by erect- 
ing the images of saints as objects of adoration 
and worship. 

Now, the question is asked, how long shall be 



CLEANSING OF THE SANCTUARY. 317 

the vision concerning the daily sacrifice, and the 
transgression of desolation, to give both the sanc- 
tuary and the host to be trodden under foot. I 
trust the reader will not confound the " transgres- 
sion of desolation," with the abomination of deso- 
lation spoken of by the Savior, in the twenty- 
fourth of Matthew, as is often done. It will be 
observed that the heavenly being proceeds to tell 
Daniel the exact time when the sanctuary should 
be cleansed. But in this question, is involved the 
question of the perpetual existence of the church, 
through the dark ages. It is argued that the 
church of Christ, was wiped out during the dark 
ages. It is a little curious to see those who thus 
contend quote the language of Daniel to Nebu- 
chadnezzar, that " in the days of these kings shall 
the God of heaven set up a kingdom that shall 
never be destroyed, . . audit shall stand forever," 
and apply this language to the establishment of 
the church or kingdom of Christ on the first Pente- 
cost after Jesus arose from the dead. Also stat- 
ing that this kingdom is the organized government 
of Jesus Christ, established on earth. But when 
asked about this organized government or kingdom, 
standing forever, they begin to talk about the fam- 
ily of God in heaven. Now I want some one to 
prove that the family of God in heaven, was organ- 
nized on the first Pentecost after Jesus rose from 
the dead ? Besides, their proposition is, that Daniel 
was speaking of the organized government of Jesus 



318 TEXAS PULPIT. 

Christ on earth. And they quote the language of 
the Savior, when he said, " it is expedient for you 
that I go away. For if I go not away, the Com- 
forter will not come, but if I go away I will send 
him unto you." And, also, that he would " abide 
forever." They then turn round and abuse the 
sects for praying for the Spirit to come, telling 
them that it abides in the body. I would ask 
them, where was it, while the body was extinct ? 
Was it roaming about in space, until the body 
was reorganized? I think that would be pretty 
good Mormonism. At least I should dislike to 
take such a position in controversy with a Mor- 
mon, unless I courted defeat. 

However, as proof of this proposition, we are 
told that the woman spoken of in the twelfth chap- 
ter of Revelation, symbolized the church fled into 
the wilderness. And that this wilderness, was 
sin. But the Book says, that it was '' a place," 
and not only a place ^ hut a place " prepared hy 
God.'''' Now, did God prepare sin for his people, 
and with a view of nourishing them ? To ask 
such a question is to answer it ! But we are told 
that John was carried by the spirit into the wil- 
derness, to see the woman, "and behold on her 
head is written names of blasphemy." And she 
is called " Mystery Babylon the Great, the Mother 
of Harlots, and abominations of the earth." IN'ow, 
in regard to this, I have to say, John never said 
any such thing. That is a pretty short way to 



CLEANSING OF THE SANCTUARY. 319 

answer smart men, but it seems that it is the only 
way to keep men from perverting God's word- 
Well, what did John say ? He said a woman. If 
it had been tlie woman, it was incorrect to say cu 
woman. But upon this point I have not space to 
elaborate, but suffice it to say there is no Scripture 
in the Old or New Testament, that intimates that 
the church was to become extinct. But we think 
abundant proof to the contrary. 

Assuming the proposition that the church has 
had an existence ever since it was established, I 
earnestly contend that it became polluted through 
the influence of the Roman Hierarchy, by which 
power it was also persecuted and trodden under- 
foot, for a time, times and the dividing of time. 
But after this it was freed from that persecution^ 
that had been waged against it. But it still re- 
tained many dogmas that it had learned from 
Rome, until the time came for its cleansing, which 
we shall show, conclusively, was to take place A. 
D. 1827. And also, that we now understand that 
reconciliation for iniquity was made in the death 
of Christ. Hence, the seventy weeks cover the 
period of time intervening between the first year 
of Darius and the death of Christ. Allowing a 
day for a year, would make 490 years. But find- 
ing from profane chronology that sixteen years 
had elapsed from the time the 2300 days date 
and the date of the seventy weeks, we add sixteen 
years to the 490 years, making 506, which brings 



320 TEXAS PULPIT. 

US down to the death of Christ. 'But the Chris- 
tian era dates from the birth of Christ. Hence we 
subtract thirty-three years from the 506, which 
leaves 473 years. Now we find that the beginning 
of the 2,300 years was B. C. 473 years, which 
taken from the 2,300 years gives us A. J). 1827. 

Kow, it was in this year that A. Campbell, Bar- 
ton W. Stone, Walter Scott, and other noble 
men, having laid down their humanisms and 
accepted the Word of God as the only author- 
itative rule of faith and practice, began to preach 
faith, repentance and baptism, in order to the 
remission of sins. We find that thousands of 
Christians, among the Baptists and others, 
responded to the call, thus exalting the truth that 
had been cast down by the little horn, and by 
which the sanctuary had been polluted. A. D. 
1827 is the very year that the true design of bap- 
tism was made conspicuous by the preaching of 
Walter Scott, in the Western Reserve, in Ohio, 
the very year the Mahoning Association came into 
the Reformation ; and the very year the great 
principle of unity of faith and liberality of opinion 
was adopted, by admitting Aylett Raines to fellow- 
ship, while holding restoration views as private 
property. But it is plausibly argued by critics 
that Jesus was born four years earlier than the 
date usually assigned. That would require us to 
take off four years and go back to A. D. 1823. 
That is the very year Alexander Campbell began 



CLEANSING OF THE SANCTUARY. 321 

pleading for Reformation through the columns of 
the Christian Baptist, the publication of which 
began July 14th 1823. 

Thus we see that, according to either chron- 
ology, the prediction points unmistakably to the 
time this reformatory movement was inaugurated ; 
an event worthy of portrayal by prophetic pen. 
A movement that cleansed the sanctuary of corrup- 
tion ; that brushed away the cobwebs of error and 
superstition ; that opened, as it were, a sealed 
book ; that broke the fetters of the Word, through 
which the Savior says his disciples are made 
clean ; a movement that emphasized the truth that 
Christ ^' loved the church and gave himself for it, 
that he might sanctify and cleanse it with the 
w^ashing of water by the Word ;" that showed the 
sin-stained soul the way of access to the blood 
of Christ, which John says ''cleanseth from all 
sin;" a movement, the success of which shows 
that God's providential care is still over his 
church and people, assuring us that the Lord sits 
as a refiner and purifier of silver, to purify the 
sons of Levi and the priests that minister in his 
sanctuary, and from the crucible removes them 
not till in them reflected his own image he does 
see ! No greater event has transpired in the his- 
tory of the church since the beloved disciple 
penned the Apocalypse ; and no grander event may 
be anticipated till the Lord Jesus is revealed from 
heaven in flaming fire, to cleanse and purify the 



323 TEXAS PULPIT. 

whole earth; causing to descend the New Jeru- 
salem, pure and holy, fit abode for the saints 
to dwell in ; and receive the church, the bride, 
the Lamb's wife, clothed in clean linen white 
and pure, and present it to himself a glorious 
church without spot or wrinkle. 



SERMON" xxyii. 

THE NAME. 

By R. M. Gano. 

Text. — "The disciples were called Christians first in Anti- 
och."— Acts 11 : 26. 

When God created the earth and the things that 
are therein, he saw proper that everything created 
should have a name ; and what he did not name he 
required that Adam should. Furthermore, Abram, 
God named Abraham, and Jacob he named Israel 
— showing not only that a name was necessary, in 
order to avoid confusion, but an appropriate name 
— a name that was full of meaning and properly 
applied. 

And man in all ages has found it necessary to 
have a name for everything, in his ignorance and 
short-sightedness often bestowing names that were 
not appropriate. But not so with the All wise 
Creator. He bestowed names upon those that were 
dear to him and things that were precious in his 
sight, and always with force and suggestive mean- 
ing. It is well known to all enlightened nations, 
and to all people who have access to God's word, 
that man was the highest of the whole creation on 
earth. And that the sons and daughters of men 

323 



324 TEXAS PULPIT. 

washed in the precious blood of Christ, adopted 
into the family of God and made members of his 
kingdom, are more precious in his sight than all 
others. For this reason God has given them a 
name above every other name. 

At this naming they were called Christians 
(Christ-ians). It was the name of our great Leader 
bestowed upon his followers, and had, of course, a 
proper signification. The meaning of the word is, 
" followers of Christ." If, then, we are followers 
of Christ, the name is most appropriate. It has 
been urged that, in claiming to be Christians, we 
are claiming too much. If man had claimed the 
name unauthorized by divine authority, it would 
be claiming too much. But being God-given, it is 
not only proper to wear it, but it has a tendency 
to lift us higher, and to make us reach more and 
more after the character of him with whose name 
we are honored. 

It would have seemed presumption for mortals 
to call themselves sons of God^ but when authorized 
of the Father, it only elevates us and makes us to 
feel to live as those should who have been adopted 
into the family of the supreme Ruler of the uni- 
verse. I am well aware it has been claimed, and 
that, too, by professors of Christianity, that the 
name Christian, bestowed at Antioch, was given 
by men in derision, and. not by divine authority. 
It is nowhere stated in Holy Writ that it was given 
in derision, but, on the contrary, they were so 



THE NAME. 325 

called and tlie name acknowledged by the I10I7 
apostles. Turn to I. Peter 4:16, and you find this 
apostle uses the following language : '' Yet if any 
man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, 
but let him glorify God in this name." (New Ver- 
sion.) The sufferer is not only not to be ashamed, 
but to glorify God in this name. Ashamed of the 
name of Christ as named upon us, never ! On the 
contrary, we can glorify God that we suffer as 
Christians. But, again, it has been urged that we 
suffer as Christians and not for the name. Turn 
back to the 14th verse of the same chapter, and it 
reads, " If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, 
happy are ye, for the Spirit of glory and of God 
resteth upon you, on their part he is evil spoken 
of, but on your part he is glorified." You see here 
that the person who desires to wear this God-given 
name, and is reproached for it, has reason to be 
happy in honoring such a name, and has the 
promise that the Spirit of God resteth upon him. 
We learn, then, from the Scriptures that to wear 
the name of Christ is right, and of divine author- 
ity ; that the followers of Christ who wear the name 
of Christian, honor the name of Christ, and have 
the promise that the Spirit of God rests upon them, 
while those who ridicule the name, or persecute by 
nicknaming those who desire to wear that name, 
are speaking evil of Christ himself. I feel quite 
sure that those who have any love for Christ in 
their hearts, who may have been disposed to call 



326 TEXAS PULPIT. 

by human names those who are anxious to honor 
this divine name by which we are called, would do 
so no more if they would read carefully this 14th 
verse of the 4th chapter of I. Peter, but would feel 
rather inclined to honor the name of Christ them- 
seh^es, laying aside all human names — so that if 
persecuted for their name's sake, they could rest 
easy and feel content even under persecution, as- 
sured that the Spirit of God would rest upon them, 
while thus honoring his name. 

I will now proceed to show that it is sinful to 
wear any other name, religiously, but the name of 
Christ. In the I. Cor. 1 : 10-15, we find that divi- 
sions had arisen in the church of Corinth. One 
began to say, I am of Paul ; another, I of Apollos; 
another, I of Cephas ; and another, I of Christ. 
Paul deploring these divisions, and striking at the 
cause of it, asked the question : '' Is Christ 
divided ? Was Paul crucified for you, or were you 
baptized in the. name of Paul ? " This language 
settles the question of the name forever. You 
cannot wear the name of Peter or Cephas, of 
Apollos or of Paul, because they were not cruci- 
fied for you, and you were not baptized in these 
names ; but it is right to wear the name of Christ, 
for he was crucified for you and you were baptized 
in his name. It has been urged that Baptist 
is a scrij)tural name. Well, so are the names 
Paul, Apollos and Cephas. But you can readily 
perceive that all names are excluded, except the 



THE NAME. 327 

one name, of Him who was crucified for you, and 
into whose name you were baptized, and all other 
names are excluded whether in the Scriptures or 
not. Paul, Apollos, Cephas, Baptist, Calvin, Wes- 
ley, Luther, Campbell, these can only be worn in 
violation of God's word. But the name of Christ, 
as given by Divine authority in the name Chris- 
tian, should be worn by all the followers of Christ, 
and the whole life should be such as would accord 
with the name. And the effort to do this would 
elevate the wearer, and he would be continually 
climbing higher and higher, in order to become 
more and more like Him, whose name is an honor 
to the one who wears it. And while there are 
many good people on earth, who are pious and 
prayerful, who have thoughtlessly been led to 
choose a human name in preference to Christ's, 
yet of one thing we are assured, that all who are 
permitted to enter heaven will wear the name of 
Christ there, for God's word tells us, as ex- 
pressed by Paul in his letter to the Ephesians 
3: 15; "I bow my knees to the Father of our 
Lord Jesus Christ, of whom the whole family in 
heaven and earth is named." And as God's will 
is done in heaven, we feel justified in saying, all 
who enter there will wear the name of Christ. 
And just here I would repeat, a portion of the 
prayer Christ taught his disciples, viz., " Thy will 
be done on earth as it is in heaven." We ought 
all to endeavor to do his will here, as we expect to 



328 TEXAS PULPIT. 

do it irt the saint's eternal home, where there will 
he no discord or division, because God's will, 
wheii obeyed, must produce perfect harmony. A 
great degree of harmony we can never expect, 
where there is not perfect conformity to his will. 
I have frequently heard the expression, " there is 
nothing in a name." That expression must have 
had its origin with some person who had only 
given attention to names of human origin, for 
these are often misapplied ; but certainly no one 
could ever use such language with reference to the 
name of Christ. There is salvation in his name. 
I for one am not willing to admit the truth of that 
statement, even with regard to the names already 
given. Baptist was applied to an immerser, who 
was a true prophet of the living God, and an ex- 
cellent man, who well performed his mission. 
Paul was an apostle of Christ, a noble soldier of 
the cross, a brave, self-sacrificing Christian. 
Cephas was an apostle to whom was given the 
keys of the kingdom, to open the doors of the 
church. Calvin and Wesley, Luther and Camp- 
bell, can all be classed as great reformers, en- 
deavoring to get back from the corruptions of the 
church to primitive Christianity. But all these 
are excluded, and truly salvation is in none of 
these names, yet their names are honored and 
respected for the good they did. Therefore, I 
would say there is much in these names. But in 
the name of Christ there is much more — there is 



THE NAME. 

salvation. "Neither is there salvation in any 
other, for there is none other name under heaven^ 
given among men, whereby we must be saved." 
Acts 4 : 12. This name stands pre-eminently above 
all other names given on earth. " Sweetest name 
on mortal tongue." The question has been asked 
if we must wear the name of our Redeemer, why 
not take the name Jesus, instead of the name 
Christ. In answer to this I have only to say that 
the Holy Spirit has settled that question by select- 
ing the name Christy and the form of the name in 
which we shall wear it, was also chosen for us by 
that unerring teacher, and that form is Christian, 
One of the strangest freaks that I have ever 
known the enemies to the name Christian, or 
rather I should say, those who argue against it, 
preferring some other name, is this, to deny the 
name to the followers of Christ, and yet attach it 
to every thing else that is of Christ ; for instance, 
they will say, the Christian institution. Christian 
religion, Christian age, Christian law. Christian 
faith. Christian repentance. Christian baptism, 
Christian ordinances. Every thing that belongs 
to Christ or his church they will call Christian, 
until you come to the followers of Christ, that are 
named by Divine authority Christian, and here 
they dissent and prefer some human name never 
recognized by Christ or his apostles, or the blessed 
Spirit sent to guide them in the way of all truth. 
Again, it has been urged by others who seem will- 



330 TEXAS PtJLPIT. 

ing to honor tlie name of Christ, that the human 
names are given only as designative names, and 
should be coupled with the name of Christ ; for 
instance, Baptist Christians, Methodist Christians, 
Presbyterian Christians — just as in one family of 
Smiths there might be five brothers, Frank Smith, 
John Smith, Samuel Smith, William Smith and 
Edward Smith, each one wearing the family 
name and having different prefixes to designate 
the several persons. Inasmuch as there are among 
these brothers five bodies, of course they need 
designative names, to distinguish each person, but 
since the Holy Spirit has informed us that the 
church of Christ is one body (Ephesian 4 : 4), there 
can be no need for designative names, and there 
would be no designative names, if we all took the 
Word of God as the only rule of faith and prac- 
tice, discarding all human creeds, we would have 
but the one church and no need for designative 
names. So, you see, designative names, grow out 
of divisions, which are all wrong and contrary to 
the prayer, and spirit, and will of the dear Savior. 
It is indeed, a very poor argument in favor of 
human names, to say they are designative, when 
designative names could only be necessary when 
there were divisions in the church, and divisions 
are all wrong, and contrary to the teachings of 
Christ. For the proof of this read the seventeenth 
chapter of John's testimony, where the dear Savior 



THE NAME. 331 

prayed so earnestly for the unity and oneness of 
his people. 

If any individual would cling to any one of 
these unauthorized, divisive names, and urge, as 
many have done, that they love their old name and 
are unwilling to give it up, I would ask such 
this one question : " Is that name which you say 
you love so dearly as precious to you as the name 
of Christ ? " They could not answer, yes. Such 
an answer would show they had little chance — I 
might say no chance — for heaven. To answer no, 
would array them on my side of this argument, 
and would place them on scriptural ground, as ad- 
vocates of the most precious name that has ever 
been given by divine authority to mortals. I love 
the memory of that dear minister of the gospel of 
Christ, who died several years ago in Kentucky, 
who called his wife to his side in the dying hour, 
and said to her, " You know there is One I love 
even better than I do you," she responded, " yes, 
the dear Savior." He replied, '' Yes, and when 
you see the light of my eye fading out, and know 
that my spirit is going, whisper to me the name of 
Christ. I wish his name to be the last I hear on 
earth and the first to greet me in heaven." And 
as his eye grew dim, and the world was receding 
from view, she breathed in his ear that precious 
name, and in a faint whisper he repeated it. He 
died, and his spirit went away to the saint's spir- 
itual home, to have it greet him there, and with 



332 TEXAS PULPIT. 

all the redeemed to wear that name, where sorrows 
and divisions never come, and where all with love 
uppermost in their hearts, will forever delight to 
honor the name of Him who washed us from our 
sins in his own precious blood and made us kings 
and priests to God. I shall ever pray that the 
day may come on earth when all who love the 
Lord, all who are sincerely endeavoring to follow 
the Master, will delight in wearing his name ; and 
be one in him, as they hope for perfect oneness in 
the world to come. 

" Let party names no more 
The Christian world o'erspread ; 
Jew and Greek, bond and free, 
Are one in Christ their head." 



SERMOIS' XXYIII. 

THE CHRISTIAIT LIFE. 

By J. A. Abney. 

Text. — "Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in 
the power of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that 
ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil." — Eph. 
6:10,11. 

The first call to Abram, " Get thee out of thy 
country .... into the land that I will show 
thee," Gen. 12 : 1, typifies the call of God to aliens : 
*' Repent and be baptized every one of you " (be- 
lieving ones) ; and as Abram received no law to 
guide him through life on the occasion of the first 
covenant, or call, but was only commanded to 
separate himself from his former surroundings and 
country, and to go into the land pointed out to him 
by Jehovah ; so, in the first call made to all men 
everywhere, no law for life government is given ; 
but the alien is commanded to separate himself 
from his former life, loves and obligations, and to 
take on himself an obligation of allegiance to the 
Father of spirits . 

After Abram had obeyed the commands of the 
first call, or covenant, God appeared unto him, 
saying : " Walk before me, and be thou perfect." 

333 



334 TEXAS PULPIT. 

Gen. 17 : 1. How like to this is that great com- 
mand of the Master, "Be ye therefore perfect, even 
as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.'^ 
Mat. 5 : 48. 

And thus we see how forcibly we are taught the 
great truth, that it is only that part of humanity 
who have obeyed from the heart the terms upon 
which Grod has proposed to meet them, recognizing 
them as his children, to whom he gives the law 
whereby we are to grow into the stature of men 
and women in Christ Jesus our Lord. Nowhere, 
in all God's dealings with humanity, do we find 
him giving any law to aliens, or making to them 
any call, except a plain statement of the terms 
upon which they may receive the remission of sins 
and the gift of the Holy Spirit, as under the new 
covenant, or how they may become his people, as 
under the old covenant. When this law of nat- 
uralization has been obeyed, then, to as many as 
have thus voluntarily become the servants of right- 
eousness, God gives the laws of his kingdom. On 
one occasion, Paul said, " Now, God commands 
all men everywhere to repent," but, in the text, 
instead of saying all men, he says, " Finally, my 
'bretliren^''^ and as it is not meet to give the chil- 
dren's food to aliens, we should not misapply this 
(and like texts), by addressing it to men generally, 
but should confine it to the children of God. As 
it would have been impossible for Abram ever to 
have received, obeyed and enjoyed the commands 



THE CHKISTIAJS- LIFE. 335 

and promises of God's second appearing unto him, 
except he had obeyed the commands of the first, 
so the commands and promises given for the guid- 
ance and comfort of the saints cannot be obeyed 
and enjoyed by the alien sinner. 

We propose, now, to address ourselves to those 
who have passed from a state of death and con- 
demnation to that of life and justification, by an 
obedience from the heart to that form of doctrine 
delivered unto us, and have thus been made free 
from sin and have become the servants of right- 
eousness. There is, among Christians, a great 
deal too much apathy with regard to the laws 
given by our great King for the government and 
perfecting of the citizens of his kingdom. These 
laws are numerous and perfect. The only kingdom 
in this world that has universally good laws is the 
spiritual kingdom of God, and it ought to be the 
continual eff'ort of every citizen of that kingdom to 
learn and practice the law of this (spiritual) life. 

Paul exhorts those he calls brethren to "be 
strong in the Lord^ and in the power of his might." 
A man is called strong, or weak, always with re- 
spect to his vocation. A blacksmith is strong or 
weak with respect to his physical strength; the 
politician, with respect to his power to wield an in- 
fluence. So the Christian may be strong physically 
or politically, and at the same time weak " in the 
Lord, and in the power of his might." And we 
frequently see such examples. But no man can be 



336 TEXAS PULPIT. 

strong in anything who does not possess the ele- 
ments of strength. Hence, Paul exhorts his breth- 
ren not only to be strong, but how to obtain 
strength. " Pat on the loliole armor of God, that 
ye may he able to stand against the wiles of the 
devil." Thus, in a few words, he tells us how to 
acquire this strength and the object of its acquire 
ment. God has not left us powerless. He has 
abundantly provided for all his servants (and he 
invites all men into his service) the means of their 
health, growth, life and strength. But none can 
despise and neglect the means, and yet enjoy the 
consequences. None can be strong without par- 
taking of the means. If you would be strong in 
the Lord, ynu 7)iust " put on the whole armor of 
God." And if not strong, we are certainly weak, 
and will be, therefore, unable to " stand against 
the wiles of the devil," which is the very object of 
the Christian warfare. " We wrestle not against 
flesh and blood, but against .... spiritual 
wickedness." Hence, we must have spiritual 
strength, and this cannot be ours except we have 
spiritual weapons. " For the weapons of our war- 
fare are not carnal," and no supply of carnal 
weapons — as earthly knowledge, and zeal and 
ability with respect to earthly things — can possibly 
atone for the lack of those spiritual weapons, so 
indispensable to our success in this warfare. And 
our Father has placed within our own power, and 
within the reach of our own short arms, the armor 



THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. 337 

necessary to our complete equipment, as followers 
of Christ, the Captain of our salvation. The first 
part of this armor here referred to by Paul, is truth. 
" Having your loins girt about with truth," because 
it is, in all cases and emergencies, the truth that 
makes us free. The sinner learns to believe the 
glorious foundation truth, that Jesus is the Christ, 
the Son of the living Grod, and that it is his duty 
and privilege to confess this before men, to reform, 
and to be baptized into his name. This brings him 
into the kingdom, and, as a consequence, subject 
to the laws of that kingdom. Now, unless he pro- 
poses to continue a babe in Christ — a dwarf — he 
must go on to other obediences, and this he cannot 
do without truth. Not that he needs to understand 
all truth, for this belongs only to Infinity, but that 
he must know the truth necessary for his next ad- 
vance. And God has supplied us with a fountain 
of never wasting truth, to which we may daily 
apply and receive freely without upbraiding, for, 
"He giveth and upbraideth not." This fountain 
is the precious, exhaustless '^Word of God." 
"Thy word is truth," and for the want of the 
knowledge of this many are weak. Many refuse 
to obey the earnest injunction of the Savior to 
*' search the Scriptures," and, therefore, in their 
weakness mock God by asking him to do for them 
directly, and contrary to his ordained plan, that 
which he has already made provision for. We 
Jiave heard men ask God for light in regard to a 

23 



338 TEXAS PULPIT. 

duty already plainly taught in his revealed will. 
Indeed, no duty can be imagined as binding on 
one who has passed from death unto life, not found 
in God's Word, for, " Therein is the righteousness 
of God revealed," and is full and explicit, " That 
the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly fur- 
nished unto all good works." If therein we find 
the righteousness of God, it is certainly the sum of 
all righteousness, and when we are exhorted to 
gird our loins with truth, we should at once apply 
to the source of all truth, i. e., to God's Word. 
IN'o man can be expected to live right who does 
not know how to live right. Hence the command 
to " put on the breastplate of righteousness " suc- 
ceeds that of the acquisition of truth. To put on 
the breastplate of righteousness is to live right — 
righteously, and the object in this righteous living 
is to protect us — to ward off the barbed arrows of 
malice and envy and hate, thrust at the righteous 
by their spiritual opponents. The breastplate 
worn by the Roman soldiery, to which the Christian 
breastplate is likened, was worn in such manner 
as to protect the vitals of life. The soldier might 
be wounded and, for the time, disabled by the 
enemy's weapons ; but if his breastplate was good 
and in proper use, his vitals were protected. How 
forcibly this teaches us the use, and absolute 
necessity, of a spiritual and righteous life ! The 
soldier became such by his enlistment, but his very 
life after this depended upon wearing his breast- 



THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. 339 

plate in time of contact with the enemy. So, we 
became soldiers of the cross by our enlistment with 
the people of Grod, and as our battle begins then 
and never intermits^ the very continuance of our 
life in Christ depends upon continually wearing 
the breastplate of righteousness, so freely furnish- 
ed us by the " Captain of our salvation." And 
then, in great security and peace, we will see the 
arrows of hate and malice fall harmless at our feet, 
while our strength remains, and we continue able 
to charge the enemy's works, " having our feet 
shod with the preparation of the gospel peace," 
which will enable us, as soldiers for Christ, to take 
men captive, and to induce them to be " led by the 
Spirit of God." 

Thus, this God-ordained armor makes us secure 
in our spiritual life, and " strong in the Lord," but 
in order for that life and that strength to continue, 
there must be a more and more continually in- 
creasing " shield of faith." For whatsoever is not 
of faith is sin, and no sin can be powerful for 
good. In nothing must we ever lose sight of first 
principles. Faith is necessary at the very incipi- 
ency of Christian life ; and, however long this life 
may be continued, it cannot at any time be dis- 
pensed with. By it the prophets and apostles 
wrought wonderfully. Without it none can possi- 
bly continue their own life in Christ, much less 
win others to his service. It must ever be found 
in us. Let none suppose that because without 



340 TEXAS PULPIT. 

works faith is dead, that therefore works may 
supersede the necessity of faith ; for if faith be- 
comes in us wanting, acceptable works will not, 
cannot, follow. But if, actuated by faith, we have 
become children of God, and have put on the breast- 
plate of righteousness, and have our feet shod with 
the preparation of the gospel of peace, then, if this 
faith has continued with us, and increasing, we are 
entitled to the heaven insuring helmet, the hope of 
salvation, I. Thess. 5 : 8. And now, thus equipped, 
we are prejDared by truth, acquired by God's 
Word ; by efficiency, acquired by the breastplate 
of righteousness ; by love, acquired by the prepara- 
tion of the gospel of peace ; by courage, acquired 
by the shield of faith ; by zeal, acquired by the 
hope of salvation — to wield " the sword of the 
Spirit, which is the Word of God.'' Oh, what a 
glorious armor ! How effective ! How positively 
faultless ! Strange, passing strange, that any fol- 
lower of our Lord Jesus Christ should be content 
to stop short of it all. This complete panoply 
makes us courageous and humble, so that the very 
outbreathings of our hearts will be continual pray- 
er and supplications in the Spirit. 

Thus has our Savior kindl}^ given us the elements 
of our strength in him. Let us endure hardness 
as good soldiers of Jesus Christ, and neither en- 
tangle ourselves with the affairs of this life, nor 
strive about words to no profit but to the subvert- 
i:ig of the hearers. Dear brethren, everywhere, '' put 



THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. 341 

on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able 
to stand against the wiles of the devil." 

Let us hold fast the profession of our faith with- 
out wavering, for he is faithful that promised ; and 
let us consider one another, to provoke unto love 
and to good works, exhorting one another, and so 
much the more as we see the day approaching. 
For our own sakes — for humanity's sake — let us 
"put on the whole armor of God," so that we may 
" be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his 
might." And when he comes, may he find us with 
the wedding garment on, and at ease in his pres- 
ence. 



SERMON XXIX. 
THE RESURRECTION OF THE JUST. 

By C. McPhekson. 

It is natural that human beings who have, since 
their earliest recollection, been called upon to lay 
their friends away in the grave, should question 
themselves as to this mysterious something called 
death. At one moment we hear the voice of a liv- 
ing being, as it utters a last request, and at the 
next, the lips are motionless and the tongue speaks 
not. Is this the end ? Is this the purpose of life ? 
Was man created with powers that have never yet 
found their limit, simply to gasp and die and de- 
cay ? We look upon nature about us, and we see 
that everything has a purjDose to fulfill beyond its 
existence here. The spring bubbles forth from the 
mountain side, and pours its tiny stream into the 
brook ; the brook hurries on to the river, the river 
pours its current into the vast expanse ; this gives 
its vapor to form the clouds above, and the clouds 
in turn feed the spring. But has all this no pur- 
pose ? Is this wonderful power put forth simply 
that the cycle may be continued? Does the spring 
feed the brook, the river, the ocean, and the cloud 
simply that it may itself be fed ? Does it exist 
only that it may exist? Ask the earth that is 

342 



THE EESURRECTION. 343' 

T^atered, tlie tliirsty plants, the atmosphere, the 
l)east of the field. Ask man, who has been made 
happier by all these contributing to his wants, and 
the answers we hear from all around bear united 
testimony that a noble purpose has been fulfilled. 
Is less than this true of man ? Does he grow, and 
think, and feel, and plan, and toil, and love, sim- 
ply that he may eat and drink, and live and die ? 
Am I told that his mission is to unlock the recesses 
of human nature, to study self, to develop the 
mind, to cultivate the heart, and to mould the 
character ? Is it to penetrate the mysteries of 
earth, to explore the broad expanse of sky, to an- 
alyze himself and his surroundings ? In all this 
my question is not answered. "What wise pur- 
pose is there for man's existence? How am I 
profited by my insignificant part in this panorama ? 
What profit that I should have caught a glimpse 
of light, if it is but to dazzle me for a little while, 
and then hurl me back again into nonentity? 
What has been gained by a few years of wonder 
and amazement and toil, if the grave is my destiny ? 
Does some philosopher tell me that my mission is 
to benefit my race, feed the hungry, clothe the 
naked, comfort the broken-hearted, elevate human- 
ity, make the world better for my life, and leave a 
record behind me that will shed a light across the 
pathway of those that are to follow after, that 
others may rise and call me blessed ? Even yet 
the question calls loudly for an answer. What 



344 TEXAS PULPIT. 

mission does all this fulfill? Why is humanity^ 
liere ? What is the mission of the race f This is 
the question that demands an answer. If I live to 
brighten the life of another, why does the other 
live ? If he lives for a family, why is the family 
here ? If that is to benefit the race, what purpose 
is there to be accomplished by the race ? Here we 
end and here we have a question that human reason 
does not solve. Philosophize as we may, we would 
gladly see a light as we gaze into the awful dark- 
ness of the tomb, and even the scoffer loves to think 
that "in the night of death hope sees a star, and 
listening love hears the rustle of a wing." The 
fearful question gives us no rest, as we gaze into 
midnight blackness. I am touching h^re upon the 
experience of all. The summons comes to us that 
a loved one is ill ; physicians are summoned ; 
science and skill are brought to bear ; human 
strength is exhausted ; and yet something wields a 
mighty power, baffling all our skill, until the words 
are spoken, " He is dead." The funeral rites are 
performed, and a mound marks the resting place. 
To-morrow we return to find the mound smaller. 
Again we go, and the earth is level. Another visit, 
and a sunken place tells us that the body has dis- 
solved into its original elements. We ask our- 
selves, "What does all this mean?" And when 
all human philosophy fails, the Book of books 
speaks from its sacred page, " The dead in Christ 
shall rise?"* It tells me that there is an empty^ 



THE EESUERECTIOX. 345 

grave — the grave of the Son of God — and that he 
has brought life and immortality to light. Can 
this be true ? With a heart full of trusting faith, 
I believe it ; and, believing it, I place these two 
graves, the grave of my friend and the empty grave 
of Jesus, side by side, and how different my feel- 
ings ! Looking into one, I see only crumbling 
dust, while from the other I see the springing of 
eternal life ; in one is darkness that can be felt, 
while the other sheds a light across the " dark 
river ; " one tells me a doleful tale of separation 
and despair, while the other fills my heart with 
joy as I look forward to a glad reunion ; upon one 
have grown in clammy moss the words, " No more 
beyond ; " while in the other, we see, formed in 
evergreen, the words, " Life beyond ! " Grim skel- 
etons dance upon the one, while sepulchral tones 
repeat, " Behold the end. Dust thou art and unto 
dust shalt thou return ; " while two angels, clothed 
in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had lain, 
tell us in voices of heavenly sweetness to hear him 
who said, " I am the Resurrection and the Life ! '* 
While in the shadow of the one, we speak of the 
sting of death, and of the victory of the grave ; in 
the light of the other we exclaim, " O, death, where 
is thy sting? O, grave, where is thy victory?'' 
In the light of revelation we can read an answer 
to our question. The mission of man is fulfilled 
only in eternity. Death does not end all. The 
resurrection solves the mystery. 



346 TEXAS PULPIT. 

Three questions press for an answer. Who ? 
What ? How ? Let us look at each briefly. 

I. Who will be raised f The doctrine of the 
resurrection of the dead is one peculiar to the Bible. 
A few heathen philosophers have possessed glim- 
mering ideas of a future existence, but none what- 
ever of a resurrection from the grave. This we 
learn from the Bible alone, and hence the only 
answer to our present question must be found there. 
Turning to the sacred page, we read, " The hour is 
€oming when all that are in the graves shall hear 
his voice, and shall come forth ; they that have 
done good, unto the resurrection of life ; and they 
that have done evil, unto the resurrection of con- 
demnation." Without reading other passages, we 
learn from this one that all that are in their graves 
shall come forth. This includes every man, woman 
and child that the grave has held a prisoner. The 
same passage, however, makes a distinction be- 
tween the righteous and the unrighteous; to the 
one, is promised the resurrection of life ; to the 
other, the resurrection of condemnation. That 
there are two resurrections of tioo classes is clear. 
That these resurrections are with difierent results, 
is also clear. A few passages of Scripture will be 
in point. "The dead in Christ shall rise first. ''^ 
^' Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first 
resurrection." " Thou shaltbe recompensed at the 
resurrection of the just^ "If, by any means, I 
might attain to the resurrection of the dead." " If 



THE RESURRECTION. 347 

the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the 
dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from 
the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies, 
Iby his Spirit that dwelleth in you." It is only the 
TQ^nvYectiowof the just that we are now examining. 

II. What is raised f The many difficulties that 
seem to lie in the way of the resuiTection of the 
body have caused many to try to " explain away'' 
the plain teaching of the Bible. Even in Paul's 
time, some denied the resurrection, others said it 
was already past, and some of our own teachers 
have taught that the resurrection of the body is a 
foolish wiiim. 

What says the Word of God ? " He that raised 
up Christ from the dead, shall also quicken your 
"mortal 'bodies.''^ " All that are in the graves shall 
come forth." Read I. Cor. 15: 42-44, and tell me 
if the same " it " that is sown in corruption and in 
dishonor, is not raised in incorruption and in 
glory. Read the 53rd and 54th verses, and remem- 
ber that it is the " corruptible " that puts on in- 
corruption ; and the " mortal," that puts on im- 
mortality. That it is the body that is raised, is 
as clear as that it is the body that dies. 

Let us pause to note a few of the objections 
urged against the doctrine. 1. We are told that a 
future life is not scientific. I would not speak a 
disrespectful word of science, when science speaks 
scientifically ; but let us look at the question be- 
fore us. Can life spring from the grave ? Is there 



348 TEXAS PULPIT. 

life on the other side of the tomb ? We do not 
stop to consider the question scientifically ; but 
simply to say, that before science declares a life in 
another world impossible, it would be well first to 
solve the question, how life in this world is possi- 
ble. The same scientist who stands in this world 
and declares life in another sphere impossible^ 
would, if he chanced to live in the other sphere, by 
the same reasoning, declare life in this world im- 
possible. 2. We are reminded that by death 
decomposition takes place ; and the body goes 
back to the earth, and becomes food for plants, 
and then for animals ; and thus it passes into 
other bodies. We are told that it is ridiculous to 
suppose that the dust of millions of millions of 
bodies that has been scattered in ten thousand 
times ten thousand places, and that has mingled 
and intermingled until identity is lost, will 
ever be gathered as it was. We are told that the 
man of forty years, has not a single particle that 
he had as a boy of ten ; and that he undergoes 
several complete changes before he is seventy ; 
and we are then reminded, that if, at the resurrec- 
tion, the man of seventy appears, the man of forty 
has disappeared. 

These objections, however weighty they may 
appear, are in reality trivial. It will, however, be 
safe for us to remember the saying of Dr. Spear, 
" There is a vast difference between not seeing how 
a thing can be done, and seeing that it cannot be 



THE IlESURRECTION. 349 

done." Let us look at these objections. Accept- 
ing as true the theory upon which one of the ob- 
jections is based, still, the objection falls by its 
own weight. Suppose the man of forty years of 
age commits murder, and evades arrest until he is 
seventy, is he to be acquitted upon the ground of 
our objector, that he is not the same man? Sup- 
pose our objector married at the age of twenty - 
five, and is now fifty, does his tlieory prove him- 
self to be an adulterer, because he is not the same 
man that married twenty-five years ago ? The ob- 
jection carried out, proves its own fallacy. A 
complete answer to the whole objection is found in 
a single statement. THe Scriptures, in teaching 
the resurrection of the dead, do not teach tlie iden- 
tity of 'particles. Not a word of the Bible neces- 
sarily implies that the saTne particles that are 
buried will rise, and yet it is the same body. 
Some one is ready to ask, if the particles have 
passed away, how can it be the same body, or in 
what, then, does identity consist ? I answer the 
question by asking another. If the particles of 
the body of the boy of ten have passed away, 
how can it be the same body as the man of 
seventy, or " in what does identity consist f " 

This case shows that identity of particles is not 
necessary to physical identity, and if it is true in 
one case, it is equally true in the other. 

III. How are the dead raised f This is no new 
question. It was asked in the days of the apos- 



350 TEXAS PULPIT. 

ties, and Paul raised the question in the fifteenth 
chapter of his first letter to the Corinthians. But 
he does not attempt to answer it ; and his only 
reason for not doing so, is simply there is no an- 
swer for it except to be found in his language to 
Agrippa, " Why should it be thought a thing in- 
credible with you, that God should raise the 
dead ? " Although he did not answer the question, 
he illustrated the fact. 

The first illustration given, is the seed planted 
in the earth. If I had never seen a seed planted, 
and knew nothing of its germinating and growing, 
and you were to tell me of it for the first time, my 
wonder would be as great as his, who never wit- 
nessed a resurrection from the grave. I could rea- 
son that the seed will die, that there is no power 
in the seed or soil, it would appear so to me, and 
after a course of reasoning, satisfactory at least to 
myself, I would ask, triumphantly, the question, 
" How do the seeds germinate, and how can the 
plants grow ? " And yet I would not have shaken 
the truth of the proposition disputed. There is 
no more mystery to us in the resurrection from the 
dead, than there would be to such a man in the 
growing of the seed. " There are bodies celestial, 
and there are bodies terrestrial." And that which 
" is sown in corruption, is raised in incorruption ; 
that which is sown in weakness, is raised in 
power; that which is sown a natural body, is 
raised a spiritual body." We have already seen 



THE EESURRECTION. 351 

that identity of particles is not necessary to per- 
sonal identity, and while it is the same body 
planted that is raised, yet we shall all be changed, 
and the corruptible shall give place to incorrup- 
tion, the weakness shall be changed to power, the 
natural body shall become a spiritual body, 
fashioned like unto his glorious body, and this is 
the work of God, the same God that breathed into 
lifeless clay, and man became a living soul. Is 
this mysterious? Grant it. The apostle said of 
it, "Behold, I shew you a mystery.'' While we 
may not be able to solve the " how," it does not 
follow that it is unreasonable. Look, for a 
moment, at a common illustration. Yonder is a 
loathsome worm crawling through the dust. How 
repugnant it is! What a "vile body" it has! 
Look at it now, it is dead. A carcass that men 
call a chrysalis lies there without any sign of life; 
it is the dead body of the worm. There springs 
from it a beautiful butterfly. The " vile body " 
becomes a " glorious body." The " dishonor " 
gives place to " glory." Death has sprung into 
life. Here is a resurrection from the dead, the 
man who never knew of this could raise as 
plausible objections to it as we can raise to the 
resurrection of the body, and yet we Icnow that 
this is true. How does the seed germinate ? How 
is the dead worm raised to life ? How did the life- 
less clay become a living soul ? How are the dead 
raised ? These questions are answered by asking 



352 TEXAS PULPIT. 

another, " Why should it be thought a thing in- 
credible with you, that God can do these things ? " 
The whole question resolves itself into three 
others. 

1. Is there a Supreme Being ? 2. Has he prom- 
ised a resurrection of the body ? 3. Is he able to 
raise the dead ? Do you still ask what assurance 
have w^e of all this ? I answer that it is found in 
the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The battle is to 
be fought around the empty grave of the Son of 
God. There is a missing body that must be ac- 
counted for, and the proof of its resurrection from 
the dead is as positive as the proof of any fact in 
the history of man. We have no space to look 
into that question now, but leave it for you to con- 
sider."* To those who believe the story of his 
resurrection, we have but to sa}^, '' If Christ be 
preached that he rose from the dead, how say 
some among you that there is no resurrection of 
the dead?" And "if we believe that Jesus died 
and rose again, even so them also who sleep in 
Jesus wall God bring with him." 

Let us ask one question. Reader, what resurrec- 
tion is before you? Are you rejoicing in view of 
that of which the apostle spoke when he said " I 
count all things but refuse that I may win Christ 
. . . if by any means, I might attain unto the 



*For proof that Jesus rose, the reader is referred to the 
Hand Book of Christian Evidence. — Editor. 



THE EESURRECTION. 353 

resurrection of the dead," or will you be found 
among those wretched souls who will cry to the 
mountains, "fall on us," and to the hills, "cover 
us ? " 

That we may be among those that have a part 
in the resurrection of the just, is my prayer. 



SERMON XXX. 

IHE GLORY TO BE REVEALED, 

By J. T. PoE. 

Text. — "If children, then heirs ; heirs of God, and joint-heirs 
with Christ ; if so be that we sufler with him, tliat we may be 
also glorified together. For I reckon that the sufferings of this 
life are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall 
be revealed in us." — Rom. 8 : 17, 18. 

The glory to be revealed is here mentioned by 
the apostle to cheer the suffering Christians in the 
church at Rome. He calls their attention, in this 
chapter, to the fact that they are sons, or children, 
of God. Then he reasons from this, if children, 
heirs of God ; and, if heirs, joint-heirs with Christ ; 
if, like Christ, they were willing to suffer, as he 
had suffered before them, in order that he might 
be glorified thereafter. 

Reaching on beyond the present, and with his 
eye fixed upon the resurrection, and the glorifica- 
tion of the now suffering, perishing body, he says^ 
" The sufferings of the present are not to be com- 
pared with the glory to be revealed in us," when 
Jesus shall come again, and shall raise up our 
mortal bodies and invest tliem with immortality. 

From this fountain thousands have drank, and 

354 



THE GLORY TO BE KEVEALED. 355 

have, even in tlie midst of deepest sorrow and 
heaviest burdens, found comfort and peace. 
Martyrs, dying at the stake, were comforted with 
the tliought of the glory to be revealed. What 
were the fires of persecution to one who had the 
assurance of passing into the sure possession of an 
eternal glory like that spoken of by Paul? 

Mothers have laid the decaying bodies of their 
loved offspring in the cold and silent tomb, and, 
with aching hearts and scalding tears, have turned 
to this text and found comfort in looking forward 
to the glory to be revealed. 

Man was created to have glory and dominion, 
and to be put over the works of the hands of God. 
He gave up the dominion which God placed in his 
hands, and surrendered his scepter to the evil one. 
What the glory of the first Adam was, in the gar- 
den of Eden, we can only faintly gather from the 
meager account furnished us in the Bible. We 
know that he had communion with God — that God 
met with him — visited him in his home, in Eden, 
and there conversed with him, as friend with 
friend, or as father and child, while Adam reigned 
supreme over all created things of earth. 

Adam dared to disobey God, in the midst of all 
this glory and honor, and in so doing forfeited 
God's personal presence and communion with him, 
and was driven forth in consequence into the world 
now cursed on account of his sin. Here began the 
long series of woes which have afflicted man to the 



356 TEXAS PULPIT. 

present hour. The earth brought forth briars, 
thorns and thistles. The animal creation became 
wild, and refused to submit to the rule of man. 
The fowls were affrighted at his presence, while he , 
himself became a mass of suffering. Disease and 
death entered into the world as the executor of 
God's vengeance for sin, and man became a prey 
to the monster. 

Millions are to-day confined in his chains. The 
grave receives multiplied millions of the human 
race, and gives back none. In view of all this, 
how cheerless the thought of death, if the thought 
must end there. We pity those who have no hope 
beyond the grave. What horrors must gather 
about the dying couch of such as pass into the 
grave without hope of the glory to be revealed. 
Passing down, and out, they know not where, with 
no expectation of being recovered and raised to 
life again. Friends left behind — no company, 
light, nor song, as they enter the dark valley — 
down, down, down into eternal night ! A night 
with no morning star of hope beyond it. Like a 
noble ship wrecked in mid-ocean, such an one sinks 
into destruction. 

This might have been the fate of all, but for the 
grace of God which brings salvation. By the gift 
of his Son, and the gospel through him, God pro- 
poses to heal us of the evil into which sin has 
plunged us. Every pain, every tear, every burden, 
every disease which now afllicts man, is to be erad- 



THE OLOEY TO BE REVEALED. 357 

icated by the gospel. Not now, but in the sweet 
bye and bye ! When this corrnptible has put on 
incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on 
immortality, then will be left behind all the evils 
sin has brought upon us. Death shall be swal- 
lowed up — with every cause of death — in victory ? 
Since Jesus has brought life and immortality to 
light, we can confidently pass into the valley and 
shadow of death, fearing no evil; yea, rejoicing in 
hope of the glory to be revealed. 

Death becomes to the Christian no longer a 
terror, but a friend. A friend, who comes to guide 
him into the eternal glory be^^ond. Let us contem- 
plate this glory to be revealed. How much of it 
can we know ? How much enjoy, even in this life ! 
In the first place, it is no small glory to be even 
now the sons of God — to be heirs of the Most High. 
This much we already have in possession, while 
we look forward to an eternal inheritance, incor- 
ruptible, undefiled, and nnfading. This is to be 
conferred upon ns at the resurrection and glorifica- 
tion of our now poor, perishing bodies — for Paul 
assures us, in this chapter, that God is looking to 
the redemption of the body from the grave. When 
the body comes forth, and is clothed with immor- 
tality, glorified and made like unto the glorious 
body of Jesus, then shall we be put in possession 
of the eternal inheritance promised the finally 
faithful. 

This is the manifestation of the Sons of God, 



358 TEXAS PULPIT. 

when they shall stand forth from the grave, clad 
in immortal life, and shall again be placed over 
the works of God. The glory shall then be re- 
vealed in all its beauty, and death and suffering 
swallowed up in the victory of that bright morn- 
ing. Then shall we pass to the inheritance of a 
life with God, and into full possession of all that 
Jesus owns. And when we begin to tell his^ 
wealth, where shall the story end ? " All things 
were made by him, and for him, and without Mm, 
was not anything made that was made." The 
worlds of light that float around us are his. He 
made them. Can we count them ? Could we pass 
with the speed of thought to the most remote &tar, 
we might look out beyond, and, stretching away 
from us into the far distance of an enlarged vision, 
we would behold worlds on worlds beyond. Then, 
if we could repeat this journey from star to star — 
from planet to planet — in one direction, for 
millions of ages, there would still be numberless 
worlds stretching away in the distance beyond us ; 
until at last, we should be constrained to cry out, 
with the Psalmist : " Who, by searching can find 
out God? " Oh! the glory to be revealed. What 
are the blessings and favors of kings and queens 
of earth, as compared to the glory to be revealed 
in God's saints ? What if we do suffer for Christ's 
sake ? What if our name should be cast out as 
evil here, only because we serve the Lord ? What 
if we be forsaken for awhile ? 



THE GLORY TO BE REVEALED. 359 

A great company of angels shall shout us home 
at last. What if tears must sometimes flow? 
There are no tears there — God shall wipe away all 
tears. What if we bury our dearest loved ones 
here ? We shall find them there again. The 
union of loved ones is a part of the glory of that 
day. Husbands and wives parents and children, 
Avho have served the Lord together here — meeting 
there to part no more forever — agoing into the eter- 
nal inheritance together. 

But a thought now clouds this vision. A 
thought of those who will not be saved, who will 
not obey God, who must forever perish. Oh ! to 
have been a man — with the privilege of becoming 
a son of God, a child of the Most High, and yet to 
squander such a high and holy privilege, will be 
enough to crush with everlasting remorse, every 
one who fails of the eternal inheritance. If any 
shall read this, who have not yet given this matter 
serious thought, let me pray them now to think. 

I conclude, as I began, with the apostle Paul. 
He closes his earthly career in the full expectation 
of a realization of the glory of which he had writ- 
ten to the church at Rome. Hear him, " I am now 
ready to be offered.'. He did not have to get 
ready on a dying bed, as many try to do. He had 
been ready for years. At one time, he wrote that 
it would be more pleasant and agreeable to him to 
depart and be with Christ, while for the church, it 
was probably better he should remain here for a 



360 TEXAS PULPIT. 

season. "I have kept the faith." Onee con- 
vinced that Jesus is the Christ, there was no more 
turning back. He turned his face heavenward, 
and neither stripes nor imprisonment could swerve 
him from his purpose to reach the eternal glories. 
" Henceforth, there is laid up for me a crown of 
life." He has run the race, and has won the 
prize. The battle is fought, and now the old bat- 
tle-scarred veteran goes home to enjoj the glory, 
and the reward of the thousands of battles he has 
fought. Glorious ending of a brave life. If there 
is one man I would more earnestly wish to see 
than another on my entrance into the spirit world, 
it is Paul. His brave life has inspired mine with 
more earnestness ; and his triumphant exit stirs 
my soul to be faithfal too, in the hope that I also 
may triumph at last. 

In conclusion, let us exhort the weary, the sor- 
rowing, the suffering, the burden-bearing to suffer 
on with Christ, that they may be also glorified to- 
gether with him. 

" So live that when thy summons come to join, 
The innumerable caravan that moves 
To that mysterious realm, where each shall take 
His chamber in the silent halls of death. 
Thou go not, like the quarry slave at night. 
Scourged to his dungeon ; but sustained and soothed 
By an unfaltering trust, approach thy grave. 
Like one who wraps the drapery of his couch 
About him, and lies down to pleasant dreams.'* 



SERMOlSr XXXI. 

T^E WORLD TO COME, 

By Laurence W. Scott. 

Text. — "According as he hath chosen us in him before the 
foundation of the world, that we should be holy, and without 
blame before him in love." — Ephesians 1 : 4. 

I. Three erronious interpretations have been 
given to this passage. 

Firsts the Calvinistic — according to which God 
chose the elect in Christ before this earth was 
created ; " before the morning stars sang together^ 
and all the sons of God shouted for joy." That 
cannot be correct. Because, in the first place, it is 
inconsistent. The theory maintains that the first 
twelve verses of this chapter make up the elect, 
and that " the number of the elect is so fixed and 
definite that it can neither be increased nor dimin- 
ished." But the thirteenth verse adds some to it : 
" In whom also, after that ye believed, ye were 
sealed," etc. In the second place, the persons 
alluded to in the text could not have been chosen 
" before the foundations of the earth were laid," 
because they did not then exist. You cannot 
choose men for Congress when the men do not 

3G1 



362 TEXAS PULPIT. 

exist who are chosen ; also the men from among 
whom thej are chosen. Nothing is clearer than 
that a choice implies the existence of two parties — 
those chosen and those they ~ are chosen from. 
Thirdly, we have no record of anything that God 
did before the creation. The first verse of the Bible 
says : "In the beginning God created the heaven 
and the earth." And the whole Divine Volume is 
utterly silent as to anything he did before that! 
^Yhile we have allusions to states and conditions 
(such as the relation of the Tlieos and LogoSy John 
1 : 1), there is not the most distant allusion to any- 
thing that was done. If any man can find in the 
Bible a record of any act performed by God, angel, 
or demon, before the earth was created, he can find 
what I have never been able to discover. 

Second, the Arminian — according to which, God 
purposed to choose men in Christ. That is as un- 
tenable as the Calvinistic interpretation. There is 
not a word said in the passage about what God 
purposed to do ! The text alludes to something 
actually done. The language is plain, "hath 
chosen." It is a maxim of logic, that " what 
proves too much^ proves nothing." This passage 
proves too much for Arminianism. If there is any 
truth in the system, it must seek proof elsewhere ; 
it finds none here. 

Third, the modern interpretation — according to 
which the apostle alludes to himself and the othei' 
apostles being chosen before the foundation of the 



THE WORLD TO COME. 363 

Christian age. It is claimed that the "world" 
here means the Christian age, and that the writer 
means that the apostles were chosen before the 
beginning of the age, and those to whom he wrote 
were chosen afterward. Plausible. But there is 
one fact that forever sets the theory aside, and 
annihilates it ! The writer is Paul, and he was 
not chosen before the foundation of the Christian 
age. He tells us himself that he was " one born 
out of due time." (I. Cor. 15 : 8.) Also, that there 
were some " of note among the apostles," who were 
in Christ before he was. (Romans 16 : 7.) And, 
as a matter of fact, we have in Acts a record of 
Paul's conversion, and we know that he came into 
Christ years after Pentecost — consequently, some 
time after the founding of the Christian age. 

II. We come now to the true interpretation — 
which, by the grace of God, I have been enabled 
to discover. I have been able to set aside the fore- 
going unsatisfactory interpretations, and arrive at 
the true solution of the problem presented in the 
text, by a strict application of the following rules 
of exegesis : (1) The surroundings and circum- 
stances of the case ; (2) The text ; (3) The context ; 
(4) Parallel passages. I let Scripture interpret 
Scripture. We have already had recourse to the 
first rule. In applying the second rule — the text — 
the principal word which claims our attention is 
the term, world. What does it mean ? We must 
have recourse to the third and fourth rules to as- 



364 TEXAS PULPIT. 

certain. How many different worlds are mentioned 
in the context and parallel passages ? The IN'ew 
Testament writers frequently refer to THREE 
WORLDS. Yes, some one says, heaven, earth and 
hell. No, no ! Those are three places. The apos- 
tles speak of three worlds succeeding each other in 
time : the world before the flood ; the world that 
now is ; and the world to come. Peter says of the 
first world : " The world that then was, being over- 
flowed with water, perished:" "When N'oah walked 
out of the ark he entered a new world. We now 
live in the second world. Jesus speaks of it as 
" this world " (Luke 20 : 34, and other places), and 
Paul calls it "this world;" also, "this present 
world " (n. Tim. 4 : 10), and " this present evil 
world " (Galatians 1 : 4). The phrase, " this 
world," is often used in contradistinction to " the 
world to come." The Savior alludes to the third 
world as " the world to come " (Luke 18 : 30), also 
" that world " (Luke 19 ; 35). It was a common 
theme with the apostles. The author of Hebrews 
says : " For unto the angels hath he not put in 
subjection the world to come, whereof we speak." 
He alludes to it as though they spoke of it habitu- 
ually. (Heb. 2 : 5, 6.) Then he continues, " But 
one in a certain place testified, saying. What is 
MAN, that thou art mineful of HIM? " Implying 
that the world to come is not to be put in subjec- 
tion to angels, but to man! What man? The 
seed of Abraham. The 16th verse of this chapter, 



THE WOELD TO COME. 365 

wlien correctly rendered, reads : " For verily he 
doth not take hold of angels ; but he taketh hold 
of the seed of Abraham." That is, he does not 
take hold of angels to put the world to come in 
subjection to them, but he takes hold of the seed 
of Abraham to put the world to come in subjection 
to them. But who are the seed of Abraham ? 
Paul answers that in the third chapter of Galatians: 
*' Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises 
made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many ; 
but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ." 
(Gal. 3 : 16.) " For as many of you as have been 
baptized into Christ, have put on Christ. There 
is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor 
free, there is neither male nor female : for ye are 
all ONE in Christ Jesus. And if ye be Christ's, 
then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according 
to the promise." (Gal. 3 : 27-29.) This shows 
clearly that the seed of Abraham consists of Christ 
and his body — those who have been baptized into 
him, without regard to race, sex, or condition, and 
that the world to come will be put in subjec- 
tion to them. 

Here, then, are three worlds brought to view. 
And, according to our text, those of whom Paul 
wrote were chosen in Christ before the foundation 
of one of these worlds. Which one ? There is no 
definite article before "world" in the Greek. It 
reads literally, " Before the foundation of a world " 
— not tJie world. Then they were chosen before 



366 TEXAS PULPIT. 

one of these three worlds. Which one ? 'Not be- 
fore the first world, for they did not then exist ; 
nor did any people exist to choose them from ! 
Furthermore, we have two of these worlds men- 
tioned right here in this chapter — " this world " 
and " the world to come" — (verse 21) and in the 
chapters following. (Eph. 2:2; 3:21.) In the 
last verse of the third chapter, he alludes to it as a 
" world without end." But, nowhere in the epistle 
does he allude to the first world — the world before 
the flood — it is not, therefore, before his mind. 
Therefore, when he speaks of persons being chosen 
before the foundation of a world, he cannot mean 
the first world. But, he necessarily means one of 
the two before his mind — either " this world " or 
" the world to come." Well, they were not chosen 
before the foundation of this world, for it began at 
the flood, and they did not live before the flood. 
Furthermore, they lived in this world and were 
chosen out of this world ; therefore, they were not 
chosen before the foundation thereof. Hence, we 
are limited to the conclusion that they were chosen 
in Christ before the foundation of a world in con- 
templation — THE WORLD TO COME. And that that 
is just what the apostle means, is evident from the 
following considerations : (1) As a matter of fact, 
we know that they were chosen before the world 
to come. (2) The writer has that world before his 
mind, as has been shown. (3) They were cJiosen 
in Christy and it had only been a few decades since 



THE WORLD TO COME. 367 

he was himself chosen and exalted, " that in the 
name of Jesus every knee should bow." (Matt. 
12 : 18 ; Phil. 2 : 7-10 ; Isaiah 28 : 16 ; Eph. 2 : 20- 
22.) It was not till the tried corner stone was laid 
that other stones could be put into the royal build- 
ing. (4) The present tense is used : " Hath chosen 
us " — " hath made us accepted in the Beloved " 
(verse 6). They were not only chosen in Christ, 
but made accepted in him. (5) They received for- 
giveness of sins (verse 7), which is bestowed when 
men are " baptized into Christ." (6) They were 
chosen in Christ that they might be " holy and 
without blame before him." That perfection is 
not attained this side of the resurrection, through 
which we attain to the world to come. (Eph. 1 : 19^ 
20 ; Luke 20 : 35.) (7) They were chosen in the 
same way those were chosen to whom the apostle 
wrote, and those were chosen in Christ after they 
heard the gospel and believed it. (Eph. 1:13, 14.) 
Mark the language ! After speaking of himself 
and others being chosen in Christ, receiving for- 
giveness, etc., he says to those he addressed : "In" 
WHOM ALSO, after that ye believed, ye were sealed 
with that Holy Spirit of promise^ which is the 
earnest of our inheritance," i. e., " ours " as well 
as " yours .'" 

The conclusion, then, is clear, that those of 
whom Paul wrote, and those to whom he wrote, 
were all chosen in Christ the same way and upon 
the same conditions, before the foundation of a 



3CS TEXAS PULPIT. 

world in contemplation, that they might be holy 
and without blame when they enter upon the 
saints' inheritence in the world to come. All the 
foregoing applies with equal force to the "pre- 
destination " mentioned in the context. The words 
" in love," properly belong to the statement in the 
fourth verse : "In love, having predestinated us un- 
to the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to him- 
self, according to the good pleasure of his will.*' 
And we are informed that this predestination is to 
a future inheritance, of which we now have an 
earnest (verses 11-14). This election and predes- 
tination is going on now. 

III. With the correct interpretation of the text 
before the mind, we are prepared to analyze and 
understand the whole epistle. Our apostle pre- 
sents seven prominent points. 

1. God has, before the foundation of the world 
to come, chosen Christians — both Jews and Gen- 
tiles — that they might be made holy and be placed 
over all things, under Christ the head of the one 
body, the church. Chap. 1. 

2. He has now granted them remission of sins 
and admitted them to grace^ preparatory to mak- 
ing of the twain ojste :n^ew man" in glory. Chap. 2. 

3. Therefore, Paul prayed for the whole family 
(Jews and Gentiles) that "being rooted and 
grounded in love," they might burj^ all alienation 
and enmity. Chap. 3. 

4. In view of their glorious destiny, and perfect 



THE WOELD TO COME. 3G9 

nnion in one body, in the world to come, he urges 
present love and forbearance, and an endeavor to 
preserve unity and peace, here and now ; and, as 
a further incentive to oneness, he appeals to the 
fact that they were all in One Body, animated by 
One Spirit, inspired by One Hope, ruled by One 
Lord, possessing One Faith, the recipients of One 
Baptism, and the children of One Father. Chap. 
4:1-16. 

5. He exhorts to certain duties growing out of 
their exalted relationship and glorious destiny. 
Chap. 4 : 17 to Chap. 6 : 9. 

6. But, to perform these duties, and triumph at 
last, necessitates a conflict, on account of " the 
wiles of the devil." Chap. 6 : 10-12. 

7. Therefore, he urges them to panoply them- 
selves in the armor of God — the girdle of truth ; 
the breast- plate of righteousness ; the gospel san- 
dals ; the shield of faith ; the helmet of salva- 
tion, which is hope ; and the sword of the Spirit, 
which is the Word of Grod. And exhorts to per- 
severance and prayer, together with watchfulness 
and supplication. Chap. 6 : 13-18. 

CONCLUSION. 

It is thus seen that the apostle is not writing 
about some mysterious, imaginary, undefinable 
something, that was done, and not done, away 
back in eternity, before anything was done. But 



370 TEXAS PULPIT. 

he is writing concerning something tangible and 
definite, that can be apprehended and appreciated. 
The Grentiles addressed, recently converted from 
Paganism, could understand it ; and so can we. 
And I rejoice that we have an interest in it. For 
this process of election and predestination has 
been going on for eighteen centuries, and will con- 
tinue till Jesus comes the second time. Wherever 
men hear the gospel and believe it, they have the 
privilege of being " chosen in him before the 
foundation of the world," by being " baptized into 
Christ." Just as some " of note among the apos- 
tles " were in Christ before Paul was, so the suc- 
cessive election goes on now. First one is chosen, 
and then another. And as Paul, and those of 
whom he wrote, heard the good news first and 
came into Christ ; and those to whom he wrote, 
afterward heard the gospel of salvation and were 
sealed in Christ, by obeying him; just so it will 
continue to the end of this world. Persons in one 
locality, and then in another, will hear the gospel, 
and become subjects of election and predestination 
before the foundation of the world to come till this 
world ends and that world begins, then election 
forever ceases. "JS'ow is the accepted time." Let 
sinners take heed, and not slight their privileges. 
Let them heed the admonition, " Awake, thou that 
sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall 
give thee light ! " Eph. 5 : 14. And let Christians 
" walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, 



THE WORLD TO COME. 371 

redeeming the; time, because the days are evil." 
Eph. 5 : 15, 16. Let us, who are in Christ, walk 
worthy of our vocation. Let us be restrained 
from evil and constrained to good, by considera- 
tion of our holy and dignified relationship ; let us 
be cheered by the hope of our high calling ; let us 
be lifted upward, and impelled onward, by the 
lofty thought of our glorious destiny ! 

The bells of heaven are ringing ! 
The choir of heaven is singing ! 
The pearly gates are swinging ! 
To the cross of Christ we're clinging, 
As we go marching home. 

The light of heaven is shining ! 
The shade of night 's declining ! 
The clouds have silver lining ! 
On angel's food we're dining, 
As we go marching home. 

The harps of heaven are playing ! 
The heirs of heaven are praying ! 
To God their homage paying ! 
Our hopes on Christ we're staying, 
As we go marching home. 



APPEJSTDIX. 

BIO GRAPHIC BRIEFS, 
I. 

The numbers of these sketches correspond with 
ithe numbers of the sermons. — ^Editou. 

II. 

Datid PEisTvrrp^aTOTT was born in Carthage, Mis- 
souri, May 3d, 1839. His parents moved to Texas 
(then a Republic) when he was only five, years of 
age. In 1859 he obeyed the gospel under the 
preaching of Dr. C. Kendrick, and was ordained to 
preach in 1862. He has been pre-eminently a 
pioneer preacher and evangelist. His first pro- 
tracted meeting was held in an entirely new field, 
where he lodged in the school-house and subsisted 
on blackberries till some kind people invited him 
to their homes. It resulted in a number of addi- 
tions and the establishment of a church. By his 
untiring and self-sacrificing efforts he built up 
many churches in the early days, and in later 
years established the cause in San Antonio, where 
former efforts had proved futile. He has been in- 

373 



374 TEXAS PULPIT. 

strumental in bringing about three thousand per- 
sons into the kingdom of Christ, fourteen of whom 
became preachers. He has at times served 
churches successfully as a regular preacher. He 
recently closed his labors with the church at 
Downey City, California, and is now preaching 
for the church at Ennis, Texas. Bro. Pennington 
is now married to his third wife, who, though an 
invalid, patiently shares with him the trials of life 
and labors of love, and will share his crown of 
rejoicing in the world to come. 

m. 

James W. Lowber was born in Nelson county, 
Ky.) August 30th, 1847. He worked on a farm till 
providentially called from the plow to fill a higher 
place than that of Cincinnatis when called to be 
Dictator to Rome. He is pleasantly remembered 
by the writer as a " college • chum " in Kentucky 
University, where he graduated in the College of 
the Bible. He afterward graduated in Butler Uni- 
versity, Indianapolis, Indiana, taking the degrees 
of B. A. and M. A. In 1880 the degree of Doctor 
of Philosophy was conferred upon him by Syracuse 
University, IN'ew York. He has been very success- 
ful as an evangelist, and as a stationed preacher, 
having served churches in Scranton, Pa., Paducah, 
Ky., and other cities, and is now preaching for a 
large and influential, congregation in Ft. Worth, 
Texas. As a writer he wields an able and prolific 



BIOGRAPHIC BRIEFS. 375 

pen. He has always been much interested in Sun- 
day-school work, and for a number of years wrote 
special articles on the lessons. He was an editor 
of the Apostolic Churcli^ during the existence of 
that publication, and after its consolidation with 
the Apostolic Guide^ became an associate editor of 
that journal. He was a contributor to the Micro- 
cosm, and afterward to the ScientiJiG Arena, pub- 
lished by Alexander Wilford Hall, New York. He 
is the author of a profound work of 370 pages, en- 
titled, " Struggles and Triumphs of the Truth ; " 
also, a thrilling work of nearly one hundred pages, 
entitled, " The Devil in Modern Society." Bro. 
Lowber is an ardent advocate of temperance, and 
has delivered numerous lectures on that and other 
themes. He was married in 1882 to Miss Maggie 
P. DeBaun, of Mercer county, Ky. Dr. Hall, in 
the Scientific Arena, concludes a sketch of his life 
as follows : 

"And we may add in conclusion, that there is little wonder 
that his lecture halls are overcrowded wherever he goes with 
delighted audiences, when, in addition to the interest of the lec- 
ture itself, each entertainment is brought to a close with an 
exquisite reading by Mrs. Lowber, one of the most graceful and 
finished elocutionists we have ever seen or listened to." 

lY. 

J. A. J. Bradford was born in Tennessee, May 
20th, 1852. He joined the M. E. Church, South, in 
1870. But in 1875 he came to Texas and located 



376 TEXAS PULPIT. 

in Parker county, where he learned the way of the 
Lord more perfectly, and was baptized by Bro. E, 
Clark, in the creek that was called " Dry," July 
14th, 1878. He immediately became a zealous ad- 
vocate of the truth and a liberal supporter of the 
gospel, and in 1881 he ^became a preacher of the 
faith which he so dearly loves. In 1882 he was 
instrumental in establishing a church in Sweet 
Water, where he now resides, of which he was 
chosen as an elder, which position he still retains. 
He was married December 23d, 1883, to Miss Addie 
Wood, of Parker county, Prof. W. Y. Taylor 
officiating. He is engaged in the lumber business 
in the town of Sweet Water, and does good as he 
has opportunity, preaching the gospel as occasion 
may require. Bro. Bradford is a good specimen of 
the noble army of self-supporting preachers that 
has contributed so much toward building up the 
cause of Christ in the Lone Star State. 

Y. 

S. N. Shouse was born in Bath county, Kentucky^ 
July 24th, 1838 ; but while he was still an infant 
his parents moved to Missouri, where he was 
raised. At the age of 20 he obeyed the gospel, 
under the preaching of Dr. W. H. Hopson. He 
received a fair education, and spent the early years 
of his life in teaching. He was married in Ken- 
tucky, Oct. 8th, 1863, to Miss Caroline Moffeft, 
daughter of Dr. H. J. Moffett, now of Lancaster^ 



BIOGRAPHIC BRIEFS. 377 

Dallas county, Texas. He began preaching in 
1869. In 1871 lie moved to Texas, and now resides 
near Coperas Cove, Coryell county, preaching in. 
all that region round about. He has been instru- 
mental in bringing many into the fold, among them 
Sister Shouse, who had been reared a Presbyterian. 
Bro. Shouse exemplifies the text, " speaking the 
truth in love." 

YI. 

Alonzo Lyni^ D'SPAiiq^ was born in Burksville, 
Ky., April 10th, 1843. His mother died when he 
was quite young, and his father, B. L. D'Spain, an 
eminent pioneer preacher, remarried and moved to 
Texas, where he landed in January, 1852. Alonzo 
was baptized during a revival, at the tender age of 
nine ; but after arriving at maturity was dissatis- 
fied, and finally dismissed all doubts by being 
baptized understandingly in July, 1865. He was 
led to obedience through the preaching of Dr. 
Thomas Barrett and Franklin Bearden. Jan. lst> 
1866, he celebrated his happiest New Year by being 
married to Miss Mary E. Yaden, of Hopkins 
county, where he settled and lived many years, 
supporting his family by farming, teaching, and 
practicing medicine. He began to preach the gos- 
pel in the year 1874. He has had wonderful suc- 
cess as an evangelist, baptizing about thirty during 
his first protracted meeting, which was held in 
Delta county. He has since held good meetings 



378 TEXAS PULPIT. 

in the counties of Hopkins, Hunt, Fannin, Lamar, 
Orayson, Hood, Parker, Johnson, Tarrant and Palo 
Pinto. The writer has been present at several of 
his meetings, and greatly enjoyed his clear, con- 
vincing preaching, and charming singing. During 
his long residence in Hopkins county, it could be 
truly said of Bro. D'Spain : 

" None knew him but to love him, 
None named him but to praise." 

In 1883 he moved to Thorp's Springs, Hood 
county, where he now resides. 

YH. 

John J. Lockhart was born in Sheboygan 
county, Wisconsin, May 24th, 1850 ; but was 
reared and educated in Indiana, in which State he 
taught school for a number of years. He after- 
wards took special courses in Kentucky University 
and Bethany College, and finally graduated in the 
IN'ational School of Elocution and Oratory, at 
Philadelphia, Pa., in the year 1882. Influenced 
by W. H. Krutzsinger, his father in the gospel, he 
entered the ministry in 1872. He served several 
churclies in Indiana and Illinois, as a regular 
preacher, and held successful meetings with many 
more. He came to Texas in 1885, and located with 
the church at Ennis, where he labored two years, 
during which time he held meetings at Palestine, 
Kaufman, Denton, Terrill, Waxahachie, Will's 
Point, Sulphur Springs, and other points, with 



BIOGRAPHIC BRIEFS. 379 

marked success. At the beginning of tlie present 
year (1888) he accepted a call to Palestine, where 
he now resides. Bro. Lockhart is said to be like 
Apollos, "an eloquent man, and mighty in the 
Scriptures." He is uncompromising in his advo- 
cacy of primitive Christianity, and speaks the 
Word of the Lord '' with all boldness." 

yiii. 

Thomas W. Caskey is a man of eminence and 
notoriety, and needs no sketch here, as he has an 
extensive biography in " Caskey's Book," from 
which his sermon in this volume is copied. In his 
palmy days, Bro. Caskey was the ablest preacher 
in Texas. He resides at Sherman. 

IX. 

W. Y. Taylor was born in Virginia, in 1842, 
where he became a member of the M. E. Church, 
South, and was licensed to preach ; but, after a 
thorough investigation of New Testament teach- 
ing, he united with the Church of Christ at Hop- 
kinsville, Ky., in the year of grace 1872. He 
married Miss Mattie A. Surber of Kentucky in 
1864, and came to Texas in 1875. He preached 
two years for the church at Ft. Worth, and four 
years at Weatherford. His life has been largely 
spent in the school room, for which position his 
education and habits eminently qualify him. He 



380 TEXAS PULPIT. 

is now at the head of a large and flourishing 
school at Beeville, Texas. 

X. 

Robert Baker Trimble was born near Nash- 
ville, Tenn., May 7th 1821. He lived on a farm 
till 19 years of age, when he was apprenticed to a 
merchant tailor. The occupation of a tailor af- 
forded excellent opportunity for study and quiet 
reflection, which he improved, as did that other 
great Tennesseean, Andrew Johnson. The preach- 
ing of Tolbert Fanning led him into an investiga- 
tion of the Scriptures, which resulted in his obedi- 
ence to the gospel in 1840. On Sept. 12th, 1844, 
he married Miss Louisa Stacy ; but she died in 
1850, leaving him a daughter of tender age to care 
for; and Oct. 27th, 1851, he married Miss L. J. 
Nance, who bore him seven children, three sons 
and four daughters. He continued the lucrative 
and pleasant business of merchant tailoring, with 
encouraging success, till 1855, when, through the 
earnest solicitations of brethren and a burning 
desire to do good, he entered the ministry, which 
calling he has followed with self-sacrificing devo- 
tion ever since. Since Bro. Trimble came to Texas 
he has preached at many points with efficiency 
and success. He now resides at Ravenna, Fannin 
county. 



BIOGRAPHIC BRIEFS. 381 

XI. 

H. Ab. Smith was born in Panola county, Miss- 
issippi, January 28th, 1858. He was reared and 
educated in Arkansas, where he taught school a 
number of years. At the age of twenty he joined 
the Baptist church, and was soon afterward or- 
dained to preach. He attended " Judson Univer- 
sity," a Baptist institution, and preached for that 
people two years. He then "learned the way of 
the Lord more perfectly," and, like the twelve at 
Ephesus (Acts 19 : 5), was " baptized into the name 
of the Lord Jesus." He has preached for the 
churches of Christ at Hope and Prescott, Ark., 
Greenville, Texas, and Mt. Pleasant, Texas, where 
he now resides. He married an estimable lady in 
Titus county, Texas, Feb. 6th, 1884. He is a 
ready writer, and has been editorially connected 
with several of our leading papers. He is now 
evangelizing. Bro. Smith is earnest, zealous, and 
enthusiastic, suggesting the Scripture ; " diligent 
in business, fervent in Spirit, serving the Lord." 

XII. 

J. W. Jackson was born in Rapides parish, 
Louisiana, July 21st, 1840. He served in the con- 
federate army, as a 1st Lieutenant in the 8th 
Louisiana Regiment, and was baptized during the 
war, Aug. 23rd, 1863, in Orange county, Ya., by 
Eld- Coleman. He married June 21, 1864, in 



382 TEXAS PULPIT. 

Leake county, Miss. After the war he settled in 
Rapides parish, La., and himself and wife united 
with the church at Cheneyville, where his uncle, 
Andrew Jackson, was preaching, in the year 1869. 
He moved to Texas in 1871, during which year he 
was bereaved of his wife. He taught school till 
1879, since which time he has been actively engaged 
in preaching the gospel. Bro. Jackson is a fine 
writer, and is one of the editors of the Firm 
Foundation^ published at Austin, where he now 
resides. 

xin. 

JoHTT Alpliist Stevens is a native Texan. He 
was born in Titus (now Morris) county, December 
27th 1857. His early educational facilities were 
limited ; but he improved them to the best advan- 
tage, and, by dint of energy, obtained a fair educa- 
tion and a good store of general information. (He 
is a great reader). In 1877 he became a member 
of a Baptist church, and was for a short time a 
Baptist preacher ; but before the time came for his 
ordination, EzzelFs " Great Legacy " fell into his 
hands, from which he learned to study the New 
Testament in a manner to him unknown before. 
The result was a complete revolution in his relig- 
ious views. In 1880 he united with a church of 
Christ in Titus county, known as Centre Grove, 
under the preaching of Ephraim H. Smith, who 
had traveled the same road before him. He 



BIOGKAPHIO BRIEFS. 383 

preached some in 1882, and in 1883 was regularly 
set apart to tlie work, since which time he has 
preached almost constantly. After serving 
churches in Morris and Hopkins counties for 
awhile, he entered the field as an evangelist. In 
1885, after a successful meeting at Texarkana, he 
became State evangelist of Arkansas, which posi- 
tion he held two years ; and after entering on his 
third year, he resigned to accept ^ call to the 
church at Russellville, Ark., where he still resides 
and preaches. On the 31st day of January, 1886, 
he was married to Miss Jennie Kelly, daughter of 
Col. W. R. Kelly, of Texarkana. Bro. Stevens is 
a very fluent speaker ; and a successful recruiter. 
About a thousand have been added to the church 
through his ministry. 

XIY. 

W. L. Harrison was born in South Carolina 
and raised in Tennessee. He obeyed the gospel 
in Arkansas, when 30 years of age, and began to 
preach in 1861, though he practiced medicine till 
1875, since which time he has devoted himself al- 
most exclusively to the proclamation of the gospel. 
He came to Texas in 1869, and settled in McLen- 
nan county, where he has been instrumental in 
building up several churches and adding many to 
the fold of the Good Shepherd. He now preaches 
for four churches. Moody, Troy, Pendleton, 
and McGregor, where he now resides. 



384 TEXAS PULPIT. 

xy. 

Lewis B. Grogan was born in Marion county, 
Missouri, in 1843 ; but moved with, his parents to 
Fannin county, when ten years of age. He was 
baptized at the age of twenty-two. He was mar- 
ried in 1870 to Miss J. E. Bates, of Hunt county. 
He was educated at Carlton College, at Bonham, 
Texas. He has been preaching and teaching with 
success for a number of years. He is now at the 
head of a flourishing school at Lone Oak, Hunt 
county, Texas. Bro. Grogan is one of the editors 
of the Primitive Missionary. 

XYI. 

R. Wallace Officer was born August 18th, 
1845, in Georgia ; but, rather early in life, moved 
to Tennessee, where he married Miss Lota Venable, 
of Winchester, December 25th, 1870. A merry 
Christmas. He joined the Baptists and preached 
among them in Tennessee and Alabama for a num- 
ber of years, but never did believe their doctrine. 
Not having a theological education, he knew no 
better than to preach what he found in the New 
Testament. This got him into trouble, and raised 
a great commotion in Baptist ranks. He was sev- 
eral times arraigned on the charge of preaching 
"Campbellism, and all sorts of isms!'' But, in 
the manly and courteous manner that has ever 
characterized him, he showed that what he taught 



BIOGRAPHIC BRIEFS. 385 

was found in the Word of God. So, the charges 
could not be sustained. He was afterfward charged 
with *' breaking up Baptist churches." This he 
could not deny, for he was the innocent cause of 
many throwing their creeds to the moles and bats, 
and planting themselves on the Bible alone. On 
becoming acquainted with the disciples of Christ, 
lie recognized at once the fact that he was one of 
us, and forthwith took his stand fairly and square- 
ly with us, singing : 

*' This is the way I long have sought, 
And mourned because I found it not ! " 

Since then he has baptized thousands into the 
Church of Christ, his father and mother among the 
number. From Tennessee he came to Texas, being 
called by the church at Gainsville, where he 
preached two years. He then removed to Paris, 
and preached for the church there four years. All 
this time he had his eye on the beautiful Indian 
Territory, across Red River. He finally resolved 
to go there, and spend his life preaching among the 
Red Men of the Forest. " He stood not on the 
order of his going, but went." He has built up 
several churches among the Indians. He has sent 
off many Indian children to the States to be edu- 
cated, and is now establishing an Indian Industrial 
School at Atoka, Choctaw Nation, I. T., where he 
resides. His mission is sustained by voluntary 
contributions, which may be sent to him diiect. 

25 



386 TEXAS PULPIT. 

XYII. 

W. C. DiMMiTT was born in Macon county, Ky., 
April 4th, 1825. He obeyed the gospel in 1846, 
and united with the church at Republican, Hopkins 
county, Ky. He was educated at Germantown, 
Ky., but spent a short time at Bethany College, 
Ya. He married Miss Ann F. Winstead, Feb. 2d, 
1847. He was ordained to the ministry in 1848. 
He accepted a call to the church at Sherman, 
Texas, in 1879, where he has been preaching ever 
since with great acceptance. In addition to his 
regular work at Sherman, he has held successful 
protracted meetings in different portions of the 
State, and made one tour to California. 

XYIII. 

William J. Baebee was born in "Winchester, 
Kentucky, July 14th, 1816. He was educated at 
Miama University, Oxford, Ohio. He studied 
medicine with Dr. Drake in Cincinnati, and took 
the degree of M. D. in 1836. He practiced for ten 
years, and then turned his attention to teaching, 
and has since been president of two colleges. He 
was baptized in Cincinnati, by Bro. James Challen, 
in 1840. In 1844 he commenced preaching. Dur- 
ing the four score years of his ministry, he has 
labored chiefly in Kentucky, Tennessee, Mississip- 
pi, and Texas. He preached for the church at 
San Antonio till recently, when he removed to Ash 



BIOGRAPHIC BRIEFS. 387 

Grove, Missouri, where he now resides. Dr. Barbee 
has given attention to several departments of nat- 
ural science, and is known to many as the author 
of an elementary work on geology, and of a treatise 
on the cotton question. He has for twenty-five 
years been a contributor to numerous journals, 
literary, scientific, and religious. 

XIX. 

Fletcher Douglas Srygley was born in Col- 
bert county, Alabama, December 22d, 1856. In 
1873 he entered Pleasant Site Academy, which he 
attended two terms. He completed his education 
in Mars Hill College, in which institution he after- 
ward taught one year. His mind was opened to 
the truth in 1868, through the preaching of T. B. 
Larimore, w^ho has since become one of our most 
noted evangelists. He was baptized by J. H. Hol- 
brook, July 25th, 1875. He preached his first ser- 
mon, June 25th, 1876. After preaching extensively 
through Alabama, Tennessee, Kentucky, and Mis- 
sissippi, he came to Texas in 1881, and settled with 
the church at Paris, where he preached two years. 
During the summer of 1883 he held camp-meetings . 
in Western Texas under a large tabernacle tent. 
In 1880 he became editorally connected with the 
Old Path Guide, and in 1883 became editor-in- 
chief of that paper, and moved to Louisville. But 
after one year of office work he resigned, on ac- 
count of failing health, and returned to Tennessee. 



388 TEXAS PULPIT. 

In 1885, having measurably recovered Ms health, 
he conceived the idea of establishing colonies in 
the West, with a view of helping the poor to get 
homes. He accordingly established a colony at 
Coal Hill, Johnson county, Ark., which at present 
numbers over three hundred. Through his influ- 
ence, the brethren who have moved to Coal Hill 
have established a church and built a good meet- 
ing house. He worships with them regularly and 
preaches occasionally; though he has taken no 
active part in the general affairs of the churches 
since he left Louisville. In Bro. Srygley we have 
a " burning and shining light," and one that should 
not be •' hid under a bushel." 

XX. 

Jacob C. Mason was born in Union county, Ky., 
January 10th, 1845. He was educated at Prince- 
ton, Ky. He married Miss Lizzie J. Kelly at 
Hillsboro, Illinois, in 1865, and two years later 
moved to Arkansas. He was bereaved of his good 
wife about two years ago, but he has left to com- 
fort him his venerable and pious mother and his 
dutiful Christian daughter. He was baptized at 
Irving, 111., in 1863, during a meeting held by 
Brother B. B. Tyler ; but, there being no congrega- 
tion of disciples at Irving, he never held member- 
ship anywhere till he established a church in 
White county, Arkansas. His father moved to 
that county in 1868, and a Bible class was soon 



BIOGRAPHIC BRIEFS. 



389 



Started in Ms house, with Jacob as teacher. The 
result was the evolution of a church and three 
preachers, one of whom is the subject of this 
sketch. After preaching in White and adjoining 
counties for several years, he moved to Okolona, 
where he resided five years. He labored for the 
Okolona and Prescott congregations for awhile, 
then served as State evangelist for three years. 
While acting in that capacity, he planted a church 
at Texarkana, for which he has' preached over five 
years. He is a wonderful worker. He began at 
Texarkana with a few members, and no house of 
worship, and now has a church of 200 members, 
and a comfortable chapel lighted by electricity. 
Bro. Mason's address is Texarkana, Ark., where 
he has a comfortable home, though his church- 
house is on the Texas side of the line, which ad- 
mits him into the " Texas Pulpit." 

XXI. 

Squire L. Barker was born July 4th, 1847, in 
Lee county, Virginia. To be born in the Old Do- 
minion on the Fourth of July was certainly a 
patriotic start in the world. And his biography, 
if written in full, would be somewhat eventful for 
one of his age. During the civil war he lived in a 
section of country that was alternately overrun and 
pillaged by the contending armies, and sometimes 
he could hear the roar of cannon and the clash of 
resounding arms, reverberating over the hills and 



390 TEXAS PULPIT. 

through the valleys of his beloved State. His 
young heart was fired, and his sentiments he could 
but freely speak. And, though but a boy, he was 
silenced by being sent to Camp Chase, Ohio, where 
he was incarcerated in December, 1864. He was 
not liberated till the 8th of May, 1865. During his 
confinement he was sick a great deal, and medi- 
tated on things divine. When released, pale and 
emaciated, he had no thought of enlisting in any 
earthly army to fight with carnal weapons. He 
wanted to become a soldier of the cross ; but how ? 
was the question that confronted him. On his re- 
turn home, light broke in on his mind by hearing 
the gospel preached by Eld. Samuel Shelburn. 
He saw his duty clear, and resolved to obey forth- 
with. He was accordingly baptized, in 1865, in a 
beautiful running stream near a church called 
Mount Olivet. Three years later he took another 
wise step — he was married to a Miss McGuire, 
July 16th, 1868, which, he says, was the very 
making of him. In 1871 he moved to Burnett 
county, Texas, where he made himself useful as a 
Sunday-school worker. In 1882 he removed to 
Hulltown, Shackleford county, where he now re- 
sides, and was soon set apart as an elder in the 
church. A minister of one of the denominations 
announced that he would read from his creed, " to 
let the people know its teachings," which he did. 
Bro. Barker then announced that he would read 
from his creed, to let the people know what it 



BIOGRAPHIC BRIEFS. 



391 



taught. He read from the l^ew Testament. From 
that time he was a preacher. The brethren recog- 
nized the fact, and called in Bro. Silas Scarborough 
and formally set him apart. During the recent 
protracted drought that prevailed in Western 
Texas, Brother Barker became extensively known 
by his efforts in behalf of the sufferers. 

XXII. 
E. L. DoHOiS^EY, though not a preacher, is an 
elder in the church at Paris, and I thought it ap- 
propriate to have the Lord's Sapper discussed by 
an elder ; and by inviting Brother Dohoney for- 
ward, I think I '^ builded better than I knew." 
This distinguished gentleman, to whose name the 
papers generally prefix the title " Hon.," was born 
in Adair county, Ky., Oct. 13th, 1832. He worked 
on a farm till 19 years of age. He then spent five 
years in teaching school, attending college, and 
studying law. He graduated in the law depart- 
ment of° Louisville University in 1857, and soon 
afterward began the practice of law in Columbia, 
Ky. He came to Texas in 1859, and located at 
Paris. He gave strict attention to the law and 
real estate business, and was appointed district 
attorney of the 8th judicial district. In 1869 he 
was elected to the State senate, and served four 
years. He was also elected a member of the Con- 
stitutional Convention in 1875. In 1871 he founded 
the North Texan, and conducted it four years. 



392 TEXAS PULPIT. 

He was the first Texas editor to refuse to publish 
saloon advertisements in a secular paper. He has 
ever been an earnest advocate of temperance, and 
a zealous worker in the prohibition movement. 
He is the author of the constitutional provision 
under which the local option law was passed in 
1876. While in the senate, he introduced several 
temperance bills, but did not confine his attention 
to that subject. He is the author of the homestead 
act, which passed in 1870, securing to every actual 
settler a home of 160 acres. He is also the author 
of the public school system enacted in 1873. In 
1882 he was an independent candidate for Con- 
gress in the 4th district, carried one county, and 
received a good vote in the others. Later, he was 
the prohibition candidate for governor, and has 
often been mentioned in connection with the presi- 
dential nomination of the third party. Bro. Doho- 
ney, however, has about come to the conclusion that 
the reforms for which he has labored so long and. 
so ardently cannot be effected through political 
parties^ and shares with the writer the conviction 
that social, religious and national wrongs can only 
be righted by the personal appearing and reign of 
our Lord Jesus Christ. He is a great reader, and 
an independent thinker on all subjects, and is the 
author of a very original and interesting work of 
some 350 pages, entitled, ''Man : his origin, nature^ 
and destiny." As an elder in the Paris congrega- 
tion, Bro. Dohoney takes great interest in church 



BIOGRAPHIC BRIEFS. 393 

and Sunday-school work, and has in Elder W. H. 
Sluder a very efficient co-laborer. 

XXIII. 

Carroll Kendrick, now of Downey, California, 
is one of the pioneer preachers of the Lone Star 
State. He was born in Tennessee, Dec. 29th, 1815, 
but was raised in Alabama, where he was baptized 
when 18 years of age. He was educated at Bacon 
College in Kentucky, and received the degree of 
A. M. from Franklin College, Tennessee. After 
preaching successfully for years in Tennessee, 
Kentucky, Alabama and Mississippi, and baptizing- 
many in those States, he came to Texas in 1851^ 
where he labored 27 years. He has for the most 
part supported himself and family by practicing 
medicine, but has at times been very liberally sus- 
tained in the evangelistic field. He has witnessed 
about 10,000 additions in Texas, and near the same 
number in other States. If, in the crown of the 
Christian, there is a star for every convert, what a 
bright, dazzling crown will this old soldier of the 
cross have with many thousand glittering stars 
upon it ! He has edited several religious papers 
in Texas and elsewhere, and the files of all our 
Christian papers will attest his zeal. And he is 
now preparing a volume on " The Living Issues of 
the Day," which will be looked forward to with 
interest by his many friends. He has had several 
debates, the most noted of which w-as with Dr. N. 



394 TEXAS PCTLPIT. 

L. Rice, in Kentucky. Bro. Kendrick has preached 
for over half a century. His name is known among 
the brethren everywhere, and is as familiar to 
Texans " as household words." 

XXIY. 

Aaeois" Peince Aten, of Austin, one of the most 
scholarly and literary preachers in the State, was 
born in Ohio, June 24th, 1839. He removed to 
Illinois in 1849. Entered Abingdon college. 111., 
,in 1855, and graduated in the full course in the 
class of 1860, with first honors of his class. Be- 
came a Christian in 1855. Was ordained to the 
work of the ministry, July 1, 1860, and for two or 
three years preached for his home church at 
Rochester, 111., in connection with that at Lafay- 
ette. Was principal of Rochester Seminary three 
years. Spent the year 1864 as an evangelist 
under the direction of the State Missionary Society 
of Illinois. Removed to Monmouth in the fall of 
1864 to preach lor the church at that place. In 
the autumn of 1866, became principal of the 
Abingdon graded schools, and in 1867 removed to 
Missouri, and preached two years for the church at 
Hannibal. While occupying that position, was 
elected to the chair of Belles Lettres in Abingdon 
college, 111., where he remained six years, retiring 
in 1874 to become the regular preacher of the 
Abingdon congregation, one of the largest in the 
State. He came to Texas in November, 1876, set 



BIOGRAPHIC BRIEFS. 395 

tling at Austin, at which place he filled the pulpit 
several months, and afterwards taught in the 
graded schools of the city. In 1879, he became 
president of Lampasas college, which position he 
occupied till recently, preaching as opportunity 
afforded. He was married to Miss Nannie Kin- 
kade, daughter of Eld. Geo. H. Kinkade, now of 
San Jose, CaL, in December, 1860, by whom he 
has one son, born in 1864. His wife died Apr. 26, 
1868. Was married a second time, June 24, 1872, 
to Miss Emma Crawford, a graduate of Abingdon 
college, who still lives, and is the mother of a 
bright little girl. Bro. A ten has written exten- 
sively for the religious press, both in prose and 
poetry, having been co-editor of the Gospel Echo, 
while controlled by Bro. E. L. Craig, and of the 
EnangeUst, when published by Bro. G. T. Carpen- 
ter, now Chancellor of Drake University. Since 
coming to Texas, he was for awhile editor-at-large 
of the Christian Preacher, and has been for two 
or three years editor of the Texas Department of 
the Apostolic Guide, which circulates extensively 
in Texas and other Southern States. 

XXY. 

H. B. Davis was born in Tennessee, June 10th, 
1849, and was brought up, or rather brought him- 
self up, in Kentucky. He was left an orphan and 
thrown on his own resources when quite young, 
and is, therefore, a self-made man. Influenced by 



396 TEXAS PULPIT. 

a devout reading of the Bible, he made up his 
mind to obey the gospel, and was baptized by Eld. 
W. C. Dimmitt, at Caseyville, Kentucky, in 1867. 
Two years later he was set apart as an evangelist, 
Bro. Dimmitt assisting at his ordination. After 
preaching successfully in Kentucky, Missouri, and 
other States, he came to Texas, and settled with the 
church at Gainsville, where he now resides and 
preaches. Bro. Davis is a well read man, and his 
sermon has the ring of pure metal. 

XXVI. 

F. Graham Ribble was born in Lucas county, 
Iowa, March 27th, 1859. His parents were of the 
highly intellectual and benevolent type of mind, 
and Graham inherits those characteristics. His 
mother, who was a devoted Christian, died when 
he was of tender age ; leaving four children, of 
whom he was the youngest. In a letter to the 
writer, he thus alludes to that touching event : 

"Here transpired a scene that no pen can picture. Being- 
conscious of death, she gathered her little ones around her, and 
kissed them farewell till we all should meet in a brighter world 
than this ! For which she poured forth a prayer to him with 
whom she was not a stranger — and such a prayer as only a 
dying Christian mother can offer, I have felt its power a 
thousand times. It has encouraged me to press onward and 
upward, when all else seemed to retard my progress." 

In the year 1867 his father moved to Texas, and 
settled in Lamar county, where he died some years 
later. Bro. Graham Hibble confessed Christ 



Biographic briefs. 397 

during a meeting held at Naomi Academy, in 
Lamar county, and was baptized by Laurence W. 
Scott, the fourth Sunday in October, 1876. His 
brother, Abe Ribble, who had been trying to be a 
Universalist preacher, united with the church dur- 
ing the same meeting, and is now one of the elders 
in the congregation at Roxton. Graham was mar- 
ried to Miss Mary L. Arrington, August 10th, 1880, 
Bro. John W. Benton officiating. Being, as he is, 
a natural orator, Bro. Ribble was not in the church 
many years till he began preaching ; but was not 
forinally set apart till the first Lord's day in May, 
1886. He has held some very successful pro- 
tracted meetings, and is capable of doing much 
good if he had a fair chance. His sermon bears 
the impress of originality and genius. He pur- 
sues the calling of a planter, and preaches as he 
has opportunity. His address is Sanger, Denton 
county, Texas. 

XXYII. 

Richard M. Gaito, son of the lamented John 
Allen Gano, was born in Kentucky, June 17th, 
1830. After receiving a collegiate education at 
Bacon and Bethany colleges, and grq^duating at 
the Medical University of Louisville (A. D. 1849), 
he came to Texas, where he practiced his profes- 
sion successfully for several years. He served 
two years in the legislature of the State. At the 
breaking out of the late civil war, he enlisted as a 



398 TEXAS PULPIT. 

private in the Confederate army, was elected cap- 
tain^ and soon promoted to major, thence to 
colonel, and finally to brigadier general, in rapid 
succession. He was loved and honored by the 
men in his command, and is yet. I suppose he 
will always be called " Gen. Gano ; " but I prefer 
to think of him as wearing the higher title of 
which he writes so tenderly in his sermon, the 
name Cliristlan — the loftiest title ever bestowed 
on mortal man. While in the army, Bro. Gano 
resolved to devote himself to the preaching of the 
gospel, and gave many religious talks to his men, 
which was called preaching. It is said he com- 
manded his men, doctored them when sick, and 
preached to them on Sunday. But he was not 
formally set apart to the ministry till 1866, when 
he was ordained by Jno. A. Gano, Winthrop Hop- 
son, and the elders of Old Union church, in Ken- 
tucky. As a migratory bird, he has passed back 
and forth from Kentucky to Texas, preaching in 
both States. He has influenced about 5,000 per- 
sons to take upon them the precious name of 
which he writes, and has not yet laid down his 
armor. He now lives in Dallas, Texas, where he 
has done much preaching. 

XXYIII. 

J. A. A.Bi^EY, of Lampasas, Texas, was born on 
Baker's Creek, in Hinds county, Mississippi, Octo- 
ber 18th, 1833, but came to Texas at an early date. 



BIOGRAPHIC BRIEFS. 39^ 

He has been engaged some in the practice of law^ 
served one term as judge, and at one time " entan- 
gled himself with the affairs of this life " sufficient- 
ly to go to the legislature. Judge Abnej was 
married to an estimable lady named Miss Rebecca 
Smith, December 7th, 1854. They have an amiable 
daughter and a promising son. Bro. Abney united 
with the Church of Christ in the year 1864, and 
began preaching the year following, in Sabine 
county. He has preached considerably for his 
home congregation at Lampasas, and has been 
the stationed preacher at Taylor, Dallas, etc., be- 
sides doing the work of an evangelist. He has a 
big brain, and manifests great force and vigor in 
his pulpit efforts, and in everything he undertakes. 
He possesses all the elements of a great mind, ex- 
cept continuity. 

XXIX. 

C. McPhersois", of Waxahachie, was born Janu- 
ary 20th, 1850, in Canada West. He was baptized 
in Mt. Yernon, Ky., in 1868, during a meeting held 
by Bro. Henry Tandy. He practiced law in Burks- 
ville, Ky., for several years, in which profession he 
succeeded admirably. He went down to Tennessee 
and found a " better half," being married to Miss 
Ella Sheegog, of Nashville, April 20th, 1875. He 
preached his first sermon at Biirksville, Ky., June 
17th, 1877. He located with the church at Waxa- 
hachie, Texas, at the beginning of 1879, and (with 



400 TEXAS PULPIT. 

the exception of a limited intermission) has been 
the regular preacher there ever since. Was the 
Texas editor of the Apostolic Guide for three 
j^ears, and has written some for other papers. 
Those who have just read his sermon need not be 
informed that he is a forcible writer. He is full of 
energy, and speaks with fluency. 

XXX. 

John T. Poe, of Long view, is one of the pioneer 
preachers of Texas, who came " into the vineyard 
at the third hour," and has helped to " bear the 
burden and the heat of the day." He is extensive- 
ly known among the brethren in Texas and other, 
southern States. He has for many years been the 
Texas editor of the Gospel Advocate^ and writes 
some for other papers. His sermon is short, but 
worthy of a long view. 

XXXI. 

Laurence W. Scott would only say, of him- 
self, that he is a Virginia born, Kentucky edu- 
cated, Missouri developed, Texan^ and was " wat- 
er-bound awhile in Arkansas ;" and, of the 
preachers, that there are, in the living pulpit of 
the Lone Star State, many other " able ministers 
of the New Testament ; " some of whom he hopes 
to present in a future volume, and all of whom he 
hopes to meet in " the world to come." 



73/7 



